Thread: Nakayama Asagi

Imagine, if you will, a perfect Spring day. The birds are singing, the bees are buzzing, there is not a cloud in the sky. You find a grassy spot on the bank of a babbling brook. You lie down, and in complete contentment your eyes are drawn to the pale translucent blue of the sky above. That is the colour of this hone.

Now imagine the perfectly smooth feel of a lover's skin. Imagine that skin is abrasive, hard like rock, and blue like the sky in Spring. That is how this hone feels.

Picture in your mind velvet which has been caste by the Gods into living rock. Imagine rubbing a razor across that rock. This is the feedback this hone gives.

Clear your mind of all preconceptions, and think about cleaving an atom in twain. This is the kind of edge this stone will impart on a razor.

Now imagine you do not have a wife or girlfriend, and that you have a large disposable income. That is how you obtain a hone like this!

James.

Craftsmanship: The Dwarves in Lord of the Rings could not have hewn a better rock;

Resistance to Wear: This stone is the Rolling Stones of hones - will keep going long after you cease to care;

Coarseness: The Oscar Wilde of Hones;

Rate of Cut: Faster than you might expect;

Feedback: Like a disgruntled consumer on a corporate survey, this stone gives a lot of feedback;

Cost: Large-ish in magnitude, although not that bad on a relative scale;

Collectability/rarity: No two natural stones are the same, so... However, Asagis are fairly rare, though not the rarest Japanese stone.

Efficay: It is efficacious and beneficious, in every way. Puts a fine edge on a razor.

I love your review, Jimbo! Eloquent, and poetic! Beautiful!

I have a Nakayama, but not the blue. My stone I received from Old_School. It is gray with striations of orange. I love it!

* Anyway, thanks for the great review. You made my morning!

Steve

Jimbo, you know some of us do have good imagination. The second sentence of the second paragraph caused me immense pain!
I am now confused whether I need a shrink or a guru. Perhaps I shall get an asagi.

Originally Posted by gugi

Jimbo, you know some of us do have good imagination. The second sentence of the second paragraph caused me immense pain!
I am now confused whether I need a shrink or a guru. Perhaps I shall get an asagi.

You are too far gone for either or both to help you now, but don't worry because we have learned to accept you as you are

Thank you all. Yes Gugi, we love you just the way you are, and I will be prepared to swear to that in court when the time comes...

On an unrelated note, is it not possible to thank people in the reviews threads? I see reputation, but no thanks.

James.

Originally Posted by Jimbo

Thank you all

Originally Posted by Jimbo

is it not possible to thank people in the reviews threads?

But... I don't understand?

Thanks :)

I have now honed a few razors on the Asagi I got from O_S recently. It cuts slow, and I wish it were longer so I did not have to do so many passes, but that and the scent that comes off the stone as it cuts add to the Zen. ;)

It does what I expected it would do. It improves on the edge off a Shapton 16K, being both more keen and sharp, similar to 0.5 CrO or diamond paste. Haven't touched my pasted strops since this stone came from Japan.

Thanks, O_S.

Out of curiosity Gentlemen, What do these cost?

Are these the 500 dollar hones? I really don't mind spending the money, but much like the Escher, it would have to be a remarkalbe experience.

Are these mearly finishing hones? and how would it stand up to say a shapton 16k? or something similar. I'd like to see side by side comparison's of the different hones out there. The Japanese Naturals are expensive as are Escher's. Collecting is one thing, rareity, another. But what about practicallity?

Well, their cost depends on a few things like size and rate of cut (mine sounds a tad faster than RayG's). But yes, I would say that in the main a decent-sized Asagi might be anywhere from 300 to 500 or so. So Yama****a was selling them at 60 JPY per gram last time I talked to him.

In terms of practicality, I would say the Asagi is most definitely a finisher. Although, I have used mine right after a 6K Narutaki with no major time issues. It is hard to estimate the grit, but in terms of fineness mine wipes the floor with my Shapton 16K. It is tricky, as I say, but I would estimate it to be a 30K+ stone. That was the tentative guess of So as well when he sold it to me.

I use it in a variety of ways. If I am in a Japanese natural mood, I will go from the narutaki straight to the Asagi. Most of the time, however, I use it after either the Escher or the Shapton 16K, like you might use CrOx.

I do not own an example of every hone out there, but based on those I do I would say the Asagi must be among the best finishers available. I use it every time I hone - practicality has never been an issue. It is not just a collector piece.

James.