Japanese natural fans out there?

[Seraphim]

I know absolutely zero about Japanese natural hones, but I was in a knife shop in Kyoto and they had what appeared to be a nice $election of natural hone$.

Anybody want to translate?

BTW the exchange rate is about 82Y per dollar, if you want to do the math on those hones....

They also had a whole shelf full of slurry stones, and as can be seen in the top of one of the shots a range of Naniwas, Kings, and many others.


Also is a shot of an employee having at a kitchen knife at the shop honing station

 

[honed]

I think you just made a few of our members froth at the mouth

 

[Seraphim]

I think you just made a few of our members froth at the mouth

I would have been frothing at the mouth too, but instead my mouth was hanging open after catching a look at the price tags.....jeesh!

 

[Luc]

Nice shop! Those prices are not so bad IMO... But then, I don't know much about Japanese stones either...

 

[honed]

I would have been frothing at the mouth too, but instead my mouth was hanging open after catching a look at the price tags.....jeesh!

That is why most J-nat nuts only have one kidney

No way I could afford such a stone, but I just love your photos!
That honing station is just mad

 

[huntmol]

I don't know much about Japanese stones, but I would be wary to purchase one of those at those prices without being sure that it was a very high grit stone suitable for straight razors. I know that many Japanese sharpening stones are in fact used for chisels, planes, and other woodworking tools - stones mined for this purpose would most likely not produce the fine edge that us straight shavers are looking for.

Maybe Telly could help you out? He's the resident expert as far as I know.

 

[Seraphim]

I don't know much about Japanese stones, but I would be wary to purchase one of those at those prices without being sure that it was a very high grit stone suitable for straight razors. I know that many Japanese sharpening stones are in fact used for chisels, planes, and other woodworking tools - stones mined for this purpose would most likely not produce the fine edge that us straight shavers are looking for.

Maybe Telly could help you out? He's the resident expert as far as I know.

Thanks for the tips, however I have NO INTEREST whatsoever in purchasing any of those hones. That's just crazy!

I'll stick with my lapping films. I could buy enough lapping film to encircle the globe three times over for what that 84000Y Sukihara costs!


I just wanted to share the pics, because I know there are many on here who have fallen under the J-nat spell....

 

[Woodash]

Next time, bring a razor with you. I understand that many of these guys will let you try it out.

 

[professorchaos]

Well what did you get? A Nakayama Karasu?

You're killing me. Just killing me.

 

[jendeindustries]

You should contact Ken Schwartz. He is a very knowledgeable person in regards to Japanese Natural stones. He is also the North American representative for Tanaka Toishi, a 6th generation Japanese stone seller.

[email protected]

Here is a link to his forum page.

 

[natchez]

Those are some awesome looking stones. I have a J-nat- an Asagi, and it was pricey. But, nowhere near the one grand that one was. But, it does put a heck of an edge on a razor. Thanks for sharing your visit to temptation central.

 

[mmadha]

Why don't they have shops like this in America? Why are we forced to buy stones from hardware stores where employees know nothing about knife honing and quality knives from department stores or kitchen supply stores?

 

[Never2Late]

Why don't they have shops like this in America?

Exactly... I would like one just around the corner please. I live in a 6.5 million resident metropolis.... yet pretty barren when it comes to str8s.

 

[Never2Late]

And BTW.... I can froth at the mouth while its gapped open and my jaw is dropped.

 

[petr]

Oh my gracious. Wow.

Whoa, that's expensive.

Are you J-Nat guys just a bunch of romantics or do these stones really do something smooth and special?

Is it the sharp AND smooth dream?

When I lived in Japan I saw so many common things marked up in price that I got numb from being able discern if something was of true quality or not.

 

[BladeRunner001]

I know absolutely zero about Japanese natural hones, but I was in a knife shop in Kyoto and they had what appeared to be a nice $election of natural hone$.

Anybody want to translate?

BTW the exchange rate is about 82Y per dollar, if you want to do the math on those hones....

They also had a whole shelf full of slurry stones, and as can be seen in the top of one of the shots a range of Naniwas, Kings, and many others.


Also is a shot of an employee having at a kitchen knife at the shop honing station

Can't translate worth a damn, but JimR (and several others over at SRP) are very knowledgeable about these stones. I know for sure that the authentic ones command very high price tags.

 

[mainaman]

quality stones of full size go for 800+ easily.
I personally like the palm sizes, cheaper prices for high quality.

I do not even want to think how I'd feel if I was in your place in that shop...

 

[JeffE]

I have two of these stones (Nakayama asagi and Nakayama usu-karasu), and they are FUN to use. They take any sharp, competently honed edge and turn it into a mirror-shine, freaky-deaky sharp edge. The stones are also much "rougher" in appearance than other finishing stones, and they typically have skins, fissures, chisel marks, veins and other signs of character that you just don't see ordinarily.

Anyway, if you are interested, buy from a REPUTABLE dealer, not just the first guy who is selling them on eBay. (Ebay is generally a really, really bad place to buy a Japanese natural hone because of the really, really wide variation in quality and grit that you see in these stones. Most reputable dealers, on the other hand, let customers try a stone before committing to it.)

 

[Woodash]

To the OP: Buy me a beer and I'll let you try out 3 Nakayamas with naguras.

(OK - we can split the beers).

(or - better yet, we can invite other locals and make THEM buy the beer.....)

 

[huracan]

No way I could afford such a stone, but I just love your photos!
That honing station is just mad

+1, nice find Craig. I can imagine you with a hooded cloak walking the backstreets in Kyoto looking for shops, hahaha.


I just noticed that honing station has a hideaway cover top (leaning against the side). How cool would that be to have in a room at home to hide all the hones from SWMBO and use while she's not home: "Oh, that honey, it's just a coffee table I found at a garage sale"