#743 Aiiwatani Tomo-ish Nagura / Sm Benchstone Asagi Goma Namazu LV 3 Hard LV3 Fine 238 Gram

A minature thin benchstone shaped Aiiwatani that is soft and easy to use. Would make a good little sharepning stone glued onto a wooden dai or used as a nagura on a harder stone to speed cutting and made a slightly coarser polish. 

Dimensions: 141x58x10mm

Weight: 238 grams

Hardness/Fineness: 3 / 3 

Aiiwatani: A ‘Higashi-Mono’ (Eastern Mine) whetstone that is close in proximity to Takashima and Wakasa, two mines known for their high density stones. Aiiwatani are great shiage-toishi(fine stones) when you are looking for a refined edge. Typically more mellow in cutting action, but this can lead to a cleaner polish.

Asagi:

This aesthetic term refers to the general color of the stone. Typically, Asagi stones are grey, light blue, greyish-blue/green, and tan. They are usually quite clean stones that are on the harder side. However, softer Asagi stones are great for knife polishing.

Goma:

This aesthetic quality looks like tiny black dots, or little sesame seeds in the stone. This quality typically translates to having a fast cutting speed.

Namazu:

Translating to ‘cat-fish’, this aesthetic quality looks like white blotches on the stone. Usually this quality has a great sharpening feel that is smooth and tactile. In extreme cases of Namazu where the stone is very hard, it can be scratchy with too much pressure.

Nashiji:

Meaning ‘pear-skin’, this aesthetic quality looks like tiny brown/pale dots on the stone. This quality can look similar to Su-holes on Suita stones as well as be a quality on Suita.