Marked with third stamp 'Toku Sen Hin' - Special Selection 

Very easy to use, fast cutting, slightly hard but smooth and buttery feeling Aiiwatani stone which makes a fine and bright kasumi finish with good contrast. Makes a great edge, highly recommended for making a fine finished edge with some bite. Very fast cutting and super easy to use, this one stands out. 

Full sized Aiiwatani with a tall height and a nice benchstone sized rectangular shape , underside has a bit of an overhang but is still stable when worked. Small survace crack in bottom center of stone coming from small chip, follows small dark line. Not a big concern but priced accordingly. 

Dimensions: 172mm long 68/73mm across at widest 42mm thick

Weight: 1212 grams

Hardness/Fineness: 3.5+ / 4

Aiiwatani:

A ‘Higashi-Mono’ (Eastern Mine) whetstone that is close in proximity to Takashima and Wakasa, two mines known for their high density stones. Aiiwatani are great shiage-toishi(fine stones) when you are looking for a refined edge. Typically more mellow in cutting action, but this can lead to a cleaner polish.

Asagi:

This aesthetic term refers to the general color of the stone. Typically, Asagi stones are grey, light blue, greyish-blue/green, and tan. They are usually quite clean stones that are on the harder side. However, softer Asagi stones are great for knife polishing.

Goma:

This aesthetic quality looks like tiny black dots, or little sesame seeds in the stone. This quality typically translates to having a fast cutting speed.

Nashiji:

Meaning ‘pear-skin’, this aesthetic quality looks like tiny brown/pale dots on the stone. This quality can look similar to Su-holes on Suita stones as well as be a quality on Suita.