Hitohira sources a large variety of high quality stones, offering you a wide range of price points, uses, and skill levels. Not only does Hitohira provide classic Kyoto-based stones, they also procure stones that originate from all over Japan, giving you a opportunity to use some less common stones. So whether you're getting your very first natural stone, or are searching for that perfect piece to round-out a progression, Hitohira likely has you covered.
Most stones are graded by their in-house polisher, but are otherwise graded by Strata.
Brand: Hitohira ひとひら (一片)
Producing Area: Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture - Japan
Mine: Nakayama
Strata/um:
Appearance: What may seem initially unremarkable, in fact contains some stellar renge patches intermixed with beautiful, deep yake when wet.
Size: 206mm x 82mm x 25mm
Weight: 918g
Est. Grit: 6000-8000
1-5 Scale: 1 = Less, 5 = More
Hardness Level: 4.5
Scratch Depth: 1.5
Speed: 3.5
Wear Rate: 4.5
Self Slurry: 1.5
Thirst: 2
Consistency: 4.5
Feedback: 2
Ease of Use: 3
Recommended Uses: Very keen edges; ura; glossy kasumi; microbevels; push-cut tools; razors
Notes: This is a "very" stone — very fast for its hardness; very fine scratch pattern that yields very bright and even kasumi, very consistent feedback, very keen results on edges and ideal for push cut tools and razors. It's great to see newly mined Nakayama stones hit the market every now and then. The only note would be that since it's hard, you will need to be mindful of your pressure. Using a nagura or forcing a slurry can help a lot in adding "cushion" between the blade and the stone.
Please Note: Given the natural aspect of these stones, all graded characteristics are our own subjective thoughts which may vary from your expectations and assessment. The images shown and characteristics described may be from a previous, random example, or when first measured before being tested numerous times. If purchased, yours may differ slightly in appearance and qualities.
