Since Alex is providing so much info I am going to ask about this koma. Comparing the stamps with Gamma's website it's sword grade. Shouldn't the Asano stamp be red?
Fake Marukas
- Thread starter Mr.Tee
- Start date
I'm a jnat novice, but I've never seen a Koma that looked like that.
I am not an expert and I don't know what the kanji say, but it doesn't say Anso nagura anywhere in the listing.
Not in the listing but the right upper stamp on the stone looks pretty close to an Asano stamp, unless I am wrong. Just curious. I was comparing the stamps to what Gamma has on his site on a highlighted koma under Asano stamps.
So I got to test this out yesterday and it is in fact a lovely I believe Nakayama. I am basing my judgement from the feel of honing on it and the Kawa(and well the stamps too). In the sun it had that sparkle. All the pics except the second one and the last one are outside. I fixed the chip in that edge so all edges are smooth now. I have also sealed the sides and bottom since I took these pics. I ran a knife over the stone at work and got lots of black swarf and no self slurry. So I am saying this stone is a little harder than was sold. I would say it is a 4.5-5 or 4+. When I got home I took 3 different razors to it and it shined up the bevel really nice and improved the edge nicely. I shaved with the final razor and it was just a squeegee cleaning everything and leaving my skin feeling like wax. Smooth and clean and I really can't feel any growth yet. So I say this stone is a winner so far. Will continue to test in future shaves. I will take some new pics and post in the JNAT thread since I cleaned up the chip and sealed the stone. The stamp is already fading a bit. The stone was already flat and smooth so I didn't lap the surface.
Nice looking stone.
I will be thrilled if mine is true. Not really in the mood to lap something brutal.
Thanks David.
totally guessing from the pics, but it looks like it maybe done for you. Won't know till you put a straight edge on it. Any guess when it may arrive.?
totally guessing from the pics, but it looks like it maybe done for you. Won't know till you put a straight edge on it. Any guess when it may arrive.?
Going by your timeline, fri or sat maybe
So I have no issues with the stone it is definitely one of my favorite finishers, but after learning more about this sellers ebay habits I would steer clear of his ebay listings. He also seems to have no reference to Hatanaka on his web site, but sells stones with the same stamps as Hatanaka stamped on his ebay listings. What that means about his Maruka stamped stones as that is what the original op question was, I don't know. From what I am seeing I would not pay the extra for one of his maruka stamps. Unless of course you just like the stone and are fine with the price. This is just my opinion of course. The stone is the tool not the stamp. My stamps are almost gone already.
Alex you had a few pics that didn't seem to come through when you were talking about the maruka stamps.
Alex you had a few pics that didn't seem to come through when you were talking about the maruka stamps.
Tom
Sorry that i fell off the wagon here, the photos I was trying to add were of the same grouping. Again, I am not seeing any Hatanaka stamps anywhere here, these maruka stamps are just attributions at best but more like suggestions that fall into the marketing realm. I don't follow e-bay but no one told me about actual Hatanaka stones on e-bay. I understand that there have been some sold but I haven't seen them myself. I guess that you know that Hatanaka-san died, if has beeb about 3 years ago now, and his family is out of the business, closed the shop, but I am dumb as to what has happened with their stock and I hesitate to speculate beyond that. Here is the photo I tired to add the other day. This seller used to ink stamp the stones and I don't remember his wrapping everything in plastic before. The only Maruka stamps are the orange paper ones. I think that for a while that some fellows were assuming that the Maruichi stamp was associated with the Nakayama mine, that was not true.
Alex
SORRY BUT FOR SOME REASON MY PHOTOS SHOW UP IN THE COMPOSITION BUT NOT AT THE PUBLISHING STAGE.
Alx
This is why I would go for Alex or someone like GAMMA if I wanted another jnat. You gotta trust someone to buy these stones. I would never go to ebay.
Tom
Sorry that i fell off the wagon here, the photos I was trying to add were of the same grouping. Again, I am not seeing any Hatanaka stamps anywhere here, these maruka stamps are just attributions at best but more like suggestions that fall into the marketing realm. I don't follow e-bay but no one told me about actual Hatanaka stones on e-bay. I understand that there have been some sold but I haven't seen them myself. I guess that you know that Hatanaka-san died, if has beeb about 3 years ago now, and his family is out of the business, closed the shop, but I am dumb as to what has happened with their stock and I hesitate to speculate beyond that. Here is the photo I tired to add the other day. This seller used to ink stamp the stones and I don't remember his wrapping everything in plastic before. The only Maruka stamps are the orange paper ones. I think that for a while that some fellows were assuming that the Maruichi stamp was associated with the Nakayama mine, that was not true.
Alex
SORRY BUT FOR SOME REASON MY PHOTOS SHOW UP IN THE COMPOSITION BUT NOT AT THE PUBLISHING STAGE.
Alx
Alex for some reason I can see your photos in my quoted section as I am replying. Don't know if they will show once I post though. (nope they don't)
Wow that is a nice table to look at. You look like you are having fun over there.
So I did know that Hatanaka-san had passed thanks to another post I had read from you actually. I also think a lot of fellows believed the Maruichi stamp was associated with the Nakayama mine because The Maruichi ink stamps were the copyrighted signature used by Kato-san the owner of the Nakayama mine up into the 1970s. He had a partner who is was the grandfather of Hatanaka-san. Upon Kato-san's retirement the last mine tunnel was bulldozed and sealed by Ishihara-san the owner of the Ohira mine. Kato-san gave up his rights to the mine to Hatanaka-san lock, stock and ink stamps. In theory Hatanaka-san if he wanted to could begin again using those same Maruka and Maruichi stamps. This was a post from you actually from 2012.
So these are two examples from this seller on a Maruka stamp.
The first is from a sold ebay listing and the second is from his site. From seeing what has come from him I think he has access to an assortment of old and new stones. I say this because some seem to have had heavy use and are on a Dia and look like something from a barber. As for the Maruka stamps I would guess this bright one is new and as you say more of a suggestion\ marketing. The older looking ones I don't know. They seem to be on older looking used stones. He seems to have stones from different mines and stock new and used. Some stamped some not. He also has a huge Narutaki Karasu Renge Suita that he says was exhibited in the museum of Kyoto for more than a century.
Alex I read from you back in those old posts that the razor quality stones were mostly about fineness and only some about hardness. I remember that well and I think you are correct. That is why I lean toward the stones I do(that and I have sensitive skin). I haven't found a better stone to my liking than the iromono stones. I get great edges from others, but just the feel of honing on these and the smoothness in the shave can't be beat for me. Plus I find them to be great touch up stones too. Just a splash of water and 10-20 laps and you are good to go if you are in a hurry.
Alex,
One more question. Thanks to the article by Fikira on kanji (perfect timing). I copied his link in another thread here. It says the Kanji used for Narutaki that is stamped on the stones would be pre 1946. Yet they look just like the new stamps on these other stones. If those are new stamps would are they allowed to still use a new stamp with that old kanji? Is this just a reference to let you know that the stone is older than that or is this trying to just up the price of a stone? Or something else?
One more question. Thanks to the article by Fikira on kanji (perfect timing). I copied his link in another thread here. It says the Kanji used for Narutaki that is stamped on the stones would be pre 1946. Yet they look just like the new stamps on these other stones. If those are new stamps would are they allowed to still use a new stamp with that old kanji? Is this just a reference to let you know that the stone is older than that or is this trying to just up the price of a stone? Or something else?
Last edited:
Mine showed up today. I need to smooth /round off the tomo and widen one chamfer a touch but it is flat.
I've done two edges so far on the same Joseph Rodgers figuring it is best to go with a make and steel I am most familiar with. First edge was just to get a feel for it since this is an unfamiliar type of hone for me and second an edge to shave test. First edge last night got a nice hht 5 root in off the strop and generally it looked good under a loupe. I felt like I could get more from it so dropped it back down and started over today, a bit less water/slurry out of the gates this time so I could pay better mind to the feedback. A very alive feeling stone. Warm, ultra silky waxy feeling. Not glassy at all, feels very dense under the blade. You could feel a suction develop as you went along and I diluted a bit to keep that in check till I was at sort of half the slurry thickness from the beginning and getting that sensation again with very aggressive undercut. I stopped at that point and stropped. This time it was a 5+ all across the edge off the razor root in. The shave just now was ridiculously smooth but it was also seriously sharp. I went atg on a flat-ish area of my neck with a lot of grays jist to see if it had the gas and it went through that like nothing. Very impressive. It's really encouraging given the extreme unfamiliarity. Once I get a better feel for it it should be evem better.
Idk of this is a jnat thing but I never saw an edge come up that much off a strop before. Cotis come up a fair bit but this was blatant
Steve56
Ask me about shaving naked!
Looks like you have a good one!
Cheers, Steve
Cheers, Steve
It certainly seems that way. It's exceeded expectations, tbh.
I was very surprised last night. I took one of my favorite old blades from 1790 and did a touch up on her with this Iromono using light slurry with a iromono tomo of about the same hardness as the base stone. I was surprised because I had taken this razor to a laser sharp smooth edge on a 5+ stone. I though it was as good as it could get. This stone must be made up of a finer particle grit or break down further. Super smooth and still incredibly close. I am sure the lather consistency from my soap can play a role in over all feel, but this stone has really surprised me.
