Shobudani Tomae Awasedo H_S40_BU_002

Shoubudani Tomae Awasedo 菖蒲谷合砥 

Classification

Mine / Origin: Shoubudani (菖蒲谷), Kyoto Eastern mining district (stamped: 菖蒲谷合砥 / Shoubudani Awasedo).

Layer (Strata): Tomae (戸前), specifically leaning towards Kiita / Nashiji Tomae.

Format / Size Stamp: 40-Gata format (stamped: 四十抜 / 40-cut bench stone size), measuring approximately 205 mm × 76 mm × 33 mm  mm (standard full-sized bench stone). weight: 1189g.

Color / Character: Warm Kiita / light mustard-yellow tone with fine iron-speckling (Nashiji / pear-skin pattern) concentrated across the left quadrant.

Description & Working Characteristics

Hardness (Estimated): Lv 3.5 to 4 . Typical Shoubudani Tomae of this density offers a very smooth, fine, glass-like glide with minimal self-slurrying, benefiting from a diamond plate or Mikawa nagura to start the mud.

Fineness / Grit: Approx. comparable to 8,000–10,000+ synthetic.

Application: Outstanding for kitchen knives, straight razors, high-end woodworking edges (chisels, plane blades), and final micro-bevel refinement. Leaves a bright, semi-mirror to mirror core with well-controlled contrast.

Flaws & Structural Observations

Back Surface (Kawa): The underside retains its natural rough quarry bark / skin (kawa), with mineralized orange-brown matrix. It will benefit from lacquering/cashew sealing along the sides and bottom to lock in loose layers.

Working Face (Top): Extremely clean and flat with no toxic lines, hard quartz veins, or chipping. A subtle, benign diagonal grain run is visible across the middle, but it is purely cosmetic and seamless under a blade.

Perimeter & Edges: Straight factory saw cuts on the sides, clean squared corners, with slight raw step-off on the bottom rear edges typical of natural-back stones.