About Us
Our goal is to offer competitive prices for natural stones with known origins.
We do this by flying to Japan, rather than going through a middleman, retail stores, or auctions.
If you are looking for finishing stones, please navigate to the enquiries page to learn more, as those generally won't be listed.
Customers will also notice that we do not rate stones numerically by hardness or fineness. We primarily list Mikawa Nagura, which are usually hard stones. Whether the stones are 4/5 hard or 5+/5 hard, we choose not to differentiate because wholesalers also do not differentiate.
We also do not give numerical ratings for fineness. Without formal particle size analysis, it is difficult to responsibly provide accurate grit ratings and comment quantitatively on particle consistency. For Mikawa benchstones, the fineness of the finish depends primarily on the hardness. Please judge the hardness from the slurry picture provided.
Natural stones are difficult to use well. The blade geometry must be properly prepared on coarse stones, otherwise you may experience faceting or uneven finishing. Beginners may wish to look for softer stones in order not to experience excessive frustration.