Thread: Igarashi Hones?

Hey all, anyone have any experience with Igarashi (五十嵐) hones (Kevin?)? I was in a newish home center/DIY type shop the other day and in addition to the usual Amakusa/Binsui hones I see everywhere, they had this one.



It was about $5 for a smallish hone (the one pictured is a big bench hone, about $20), and so I picked it up. It's got a soft, coarse chalky feel, kind of off white, with little greenish spots in it. It's rated "Chuu-shiage", which is usually an 800-1000 range stone, but the Aoto is also rated in that range and it hones more like a 3-4K.

What I find interesting is this is the first natural stone I've seen that the recommend soaking before use.

I tried it for bevel setting and it is a slowish, soft hone--honing felt like a 1K king homestone, but the edge got a very nice, crispy sharpness to it.

One thing I have seen, on a Japanese site about natural hones, some unidentified source said that people were selling the same stones all labeled Amakusa, Binsui and Igarashi, but to me they look/feel different and all cost roughly the same so...why?

Anyone have any more experience with it? I've only honed two razors on it so far but if I can continue to get these results, it might be a good natural bevel setter to consider, for those interested in such things.

That is a nice looking hone Jim. I read on Morihei (森平) that they are good hones but the mizu-iro ones over the white ones have a finer particle size and are a bit higher quality.

My new aquisition and your new aquisition have me wondering about other naka level hones.