Shoubudani Mizuasagi with kanji translation

[Traskrom]

Just wanted to share with you guys picture of the stone I've bought yesterday. Finally I found someone in Japan who speaks great English and have some expertize with stones. They were selling stones in Tokyo from 1933.







Here is explanation I've got from them about kanji written on it

① 菖蒲谷 (Shoubudani) is the name of the place that the stone was quarried from. The quarry was located in central area of Kyoto city, Ukyou-ku. Kyoto is famous for good quarries for sharpening stones. It was also said that the stone quarried in the central area of Kyoto city has better quality than the stones quarried in other areas of Kyoto. But the Shoubudani quarry was shut down in 1975.

-菖蒲(Shoubu) means iris, a kind of flower.
-谷(Tani) means valley.

合砥(Awasedo) means finishing stone.

② 最高級品(Saikoukyuuhin) means best quality products.

③ 水浅黄 (Mizuasagi) is color. Asagi is light blue. Mizu means water. So, Mizuasagi means light blue like water. Asagi is usually Soft Hard. You may be able to find Asagi more easily than Mizuasagi. So, Mizuasagi of Shoubudani is rare stone.