Legendary treasure whetstone? ?

I had a whetstone that I could hardly bring myself to use because of a strong sense of ‘Mottainai’ (wastefulness). It was a natural whetstone given to me by a professional sharpening craftsman.

Finally, I decided to use it. I’m sure you’ll be amazed when you see the photos. Here it is.

What do you think? It’s a really BIG natural whetstone, right! But this stone does some fantastic work.

As you might guess from the photos, it has a grit level around #600 to #800, which is considered coarse to medium. Normally, a craftsman would break it down and use it in a paste form, but I was given this gem with the words, ‘Tatsuya-kun, if you love whetstones, this one’s for you!’

The craftsman told me, ‘I probably won’t be able to use this up in my lifetime, so you, being younger, should make good use of it!’

While this stone doesn’t directly affect the sharpness quality of the blade, it has a huge impact on the soft iron. It makes the soft iron rise to the surface!!! This is mainly about the appearance, but it works wonders for finishing touches.

Moreover, a characteristic of natural whetstones is that if you leave the blade to sit after sharpening, the color of the soft iron deepens beautifully. It’s a soft stone, so it crumbles easily, but it’s such a lovely stone that even washing away the slurry feels like a waste.

Though the final result is #800, touching the dry powder feels like smooth kinako (roasted soybean flour). The slurry breaks down and becomes finer, which is a hallmark of natural whetstones.

A whetstone is to be used! A knife is to be used! But this one, I can’t help but hold back a little. (LOL)

• 2011-01-31