Search:

Counterfeit Japanese stones, not just maruka, is a potentially big thing. Not only because of people stamping "unworthy" Japanese stones, but because of the existence of stones looking like Japanese...

Sorry to say, but stone appraising is one of the greatest taboos here, even for the more "fair" cases like yours. You might even get banned for this. PMs and mails to people who know about stones is...

Repairs for the house? Maybe a new room? Or did you find out that some weren't true nakayama stones and replaced them with genuine stamped ones? :p (referring to the message under the name) ...

I don't think these lines are unique on Okudo stones. I have seen them on Shinden, Ohira, and others as well. Mostly Ohira. From what I understand, it depends on the depth the stone comes from; the...

The left, pure one looks great. By the way, I'm avoiding stones with these red/brown lines, although everyone says they are safe. Are they cracks, or maybe inclusions of softer material? Sorry if I'm...

After seeing the seller and what he sells, indeed, it would be a pity if he was banned, but the practice of stamping his random stones must stop.
In Japan stamps don't mean a lot, if anything,...

Selling counterfeit products on ebay is against its policies, and with a few reports the seller will have to either change his attitude or be banned.
Even without copyright, a stone stamped to...

Unless something changed with the miner's association, the stamp looks too... computer generated, not made by hand. The old ones have imperfections on the letters, the ink is not uniform, with darker...

Yes, that's what I meant. Not all mines have all stones, and because of their uniqueness of each sub-layer, they name everything in such a fashion that, in the end saying suita, no matter which layer...

Steve, are you referring to a specific mine, like Ohira? I think every mine has its unique names for everything. But your answer is a nice one, thanks.

Well, swords. The sharp and pointy, most beautiful works of art that are extremely misunderstood and considered weapons in most parts of the world, while most crimes involve bats, clubs and knives......

I received a stone today. I was looking for a soft stone with good cutting power, for sword polishing, but not uchigumori because they cost a lot and have inclusions. I saw a nice one at a nice...

I was about to buy this middle nakayama stone from Mr. Teshiba, but I got a same prized oozuku instead. I'll upload some photos when I have the time next week.

Jnats are fine. All of them are very fine. If they are soft, they shred particles easily, and the surface of the stone does not get burnished, ie. the sharp corners of particles on its surface do not...

The grooves on nagura stones are to reduce the drag. It's hard to lap/produce slurry of you use its flat surface for that.
For me, I use the side of my stones to make those grooves. 1000 grit or...