Nakayama Tomae / Akapin Japanese Natural Toishi Finishing Whetstone

This exceptional Japanese whetstone was selected and 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 155mm (6.10 inches) long × 100mm (3.94 inches) wide × 43mm (1.69 inches) tall, and weighs 1379g (3.04 pounds).

Thick and Voluminous Nakayama Akapin koppa in large format. Honing on water only is dreamy and smooth with typical elasticity when pressure is applied. When slurried, the stone releases a beautiful yellow/orange grit rich slurry which increases the cutting speed dramatically. Mikawa Nagura progressions are wonderful with the stone releasing barely any of itself. Polishing knives is a pleasure as well with the stone acting very firm and inky with elastic give rather than self slurry. The gliding sensation is pronounced and a feeling of the knife being locked in to the stones surface with the exact amount of surface tension to keep things fast and moving without scratching. Adding slurry loosens up the surface tension with the slurry medium acting as a lubricant and speeding up the cutting action with more dense abrasive content. This also aids in the consistency of the final finish with the mud blending in any remaining shallow scratches. The Kasumi is bright but deeply hazy with great contrast.

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