EZ Imanishi Ohira Tomae Type 40 Size 1300-1600 Grams ~3.5-4 Hardness ~4-4+ Fineness Knife Friendly

One stone chosen from an assortment of Ohira type 40 size stones. 

These have all been individually tested in house and were found to be fast cutting and generally easy going stones that are self slurrying after a little work and make a fine sub mirror finish with nice contrast. These are assorted and not 100% identical in hardness and fineness but are all good for knives that benefit from a fine finish and will get along with natural stones, it is possible for super high alloy steels with large carbides, some super hard stainless steels and knives with very thick tough kurouchi scale finishes to scratch on these stones which are a little on the hard side.

These are great progression stones for finer finishes on razors or tools that benefit from a very fine finish or a good fine finish for knives that like a fine but bitey edge. 

We have looked for major fissures or defects on these but being assorted it is possible to have small imperfections such as chips or small mineral inclusions that need to be plucked out, we found none with a quick test but didn't work over stamped or stickered areas, they are priced as such. 

Type 40 refers to the size of the stone by the measurement of how many stones could be carried at once.

roughly 205x75x30mm
1275-1600 grams

Ohira:

A ‘Nishi-Mono’ or Western mine that produces some of the highest quality whetstones. This mine is most popular for producing Uchigumori, which is a famous stone type used for sword polishing. For knife users however, we love Ohira Uchigumori to produce a dark jigane and frosty hagane. Ohira mine also produces highly sought after Suita and Tomae stones of various hardness, typically having a fast cutting speed and a toothy yet refined edge.

This stone has not been lacquered on the sides which is recommended to avoid splitting along bedding planes. Do not soak. We do our best to disclose any cracks or flaws but being a naturally occurring stone we cannot guarantee against these. That said these have been selected by an experienced stone dealer in Kyoto with decades of experience and also tested to grade hardness and fineness by us.