Product Description
Natural whetstones from Yamashiro Province, now part of Kyoto City, originate from the invention of the Japanese sword.
With a history dating back nearly 900 years, dating back to the end of the Heian period, they are known for their exquisite, refined slate-based whetstones.
During the long history of sword-making, they were a vital military resource, controlled by the shogunate from the Kamakura period to the end of the Edo period.
In terms of early modern values, they were heavily associated with arsenals; in modern terms, they were likened to uranium mines, essential for nuclear weapons, and required strict management.
Iyo Province whetstones are said to have been circulating throughout the Seto Inland Sea as early as the Kofun period. They are renowned as the masters of the world's oldest and largest whetstone industry, based on igneous rocks, dating back over 1,500 years.
Japan's whetstone resources are so valuable that they could completely transform a nation and a nation.
Due to its unique iron sand metallurgy, which had a low yield rate due to a shortage of iron ore, and its location as an isolated island in the Far East, the fact that it was the final destination for the introduction of iron was as fatal as losing a limb for the creation of an iron civilization.
A look at Japan's history and traditions proves that the source of its famous whetstones is a consumable item that can be used to craft harder, tougher iron products at will.
Despite its poor location for construction, it boasts the world's oldest and largest wooden structure.
Despite being a latecomer in a remote area, Japan was already home to the world's finest iron products by the Middle Ages, continuing the world of swords for nearly 700 years.
Since most of recorded history belongs to the Iron Age, iron has become our limbs and the very medium for manufacturing.
Japan's current reputation as a nation of manufacturing collectives is perhaps only natural, given that evidence goes back some 1,300 years, dating back to the time of the construction of Horyuji Temple in the ancient Asuka period, proves that the world's finest iron products and artisan tools were already in production.
It is true that in creating iron, people even overcame adversity that could result in the loss of limbs.
The support of famous whetstones, which are hard to replace, rare, endowed with uniqueness and authenticity, eliminated the speed-limiting factor of whether or not steel could be sharpened with the superb performance of whetstones during the development of steel.
If we estimate Japan's various resources using modern values, we would see that it is a resource-rich nation, even though 70% of its land area is covered in mountains and forests.
However, it is precisely because the Japanese archipelago is crowded with five tectonic plates that it has been allowed to produce whetstones in various regions, albeit of varying quality and quantity, in exchange for enduring numerous natural disasters.
Our mountainous and majestic natural environment, with its harsh yet bountiful qualities (the carrot and the stick), has allowed us to accept our fate. Eventually, we learned patience, cooperation, and compromise. This led us to worship nature and express gratitude daily, foreseeing the existence of the eight million gods (for various resources and blessings), and perhaps even to sublimate these values into the foundations of the Shinto spirit.
This perhaps speaks to Japan's greatest strengths and charms, not limited to material wealth, and its relative tolerance of different cultures and religions, its ability to absorb and integrate, and its ability to achieve this.
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Whetstones are consumables. The size is the maximum cross dimension.
73 x 196 x 35 mm 1,289g For hard tools
6 Undamaged
Siliceous slate from Umegahata, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto City, Yamashiro Province, #6,000-24,000 grit. The harder the stone, the more refined it requires, but the higher the chance of achieving finer results. The rounded, continuous striations ensure long-lasting sharpness at around 70% threshold. It is difficult to achieve a dull mirror finish with an artificial whetstone grit ratio, making it easier to bring out the contrast of the forge joint, material, and carbon content.
The darker the stone, the harder and more refined it tends to be. As hardness reduces self-sharpening, sharpening should be performed using a common Nagura-gake grinding technique depending on the purpose and refinement.
