Japanese Natural Toishi Whetstone - Aiiwatani Akapin Bench Stone

This Japanese whetstone was cut by us from raw stone purchased by us directly from Japan, then thoroughly tested and coated with cashew lacquer on sides and back to protect the stone for long term use. It measures 200 mm (7.87 in) long × 70 mm (2.76 in) wide × 33 mm (1.30 in) thick, and weighs 1160g (40.92 oz / 2.56 lbs).

Stone Testing Details:

Hardness: LV 3
This large full sized bench stone is completely clean and free of any toxic lines or inclusions. A softer stone, it will make for a great pre finisher for razors, knives and tools. This stone was mined from the Aiiwatani mine in Shiga Prefecture and it was taken from the higher elevation layer of Akapin, above Tomae. These stones are often characterized as softer, less fine stones. This stone is an example of a an extremely soft Akapin. While limited in finishing, it does a great job of efficiency removing medium grit scratches from synthetic or natural stones. The softer character trait affects the edge by releasing new coarse grit particles even under light pressure which adds the coarse particles to the slurry and they can never fully break down into finishing sized particles. Would make a great stone to bridge the gap between an aggressive medium grit stone before finishing on a super final finisher.

A photo of the stone's polishing ability on a high quality Japanese kitchen knife is shown.