Thread: Kiita Fan Club

Sharpman


I like Okudo stones, the good ones are very good and razor users seem to cherish them. But remember that each mine gave up all qualities of stone, some good, great and just average. So seeking out the really great stone is the challange. Great stone has a larger quantity per pound of grit as weighed against binder. More grit means faster cutting action.


For razors the size of the grit is important and although all the mines provided a certain amount of razor quality stone at one time or another, by far the greatest portion of razor (kamisori toishi) hone stone came from the few mines clustered around the Nakayama mine in the Umegahata valley. The reason for this is logical and scientifically proven, the finest of the wind blown (aeolian) material settled in this part of the Tamba Terrane during the original volcanic event that belched forth the materials that make up the sharpening stones as we know them. Logically the "closer to the source" and coarser material settled first in the area of the terrane that now is on the map as apparing farther to the west near Kameoka City or beyond, while the finest particles traveled farther while suspended in the easterly blown wind and settled closer and near to what is now thought of as Kyoto. Of course as you may know, the Original Event took place during the late Permian or Jurassic Periods while the infant hitch hiking Tamba Terrane form resided on the Pacific tetonic plate in the area of the globe now known as Hawaii. Evidently it took over 2,000,000 years to transport piggyback style to Japan as the Pacific Plate moved west while diving under the various Asian Plates.


So yes, Okudo are worth more than usual if you are comparring against the more remote mines to the west, and yes, some Okudo, if they are made up of super fine grit, are worth more than ususal when comparred to similarly priced but inferior stones.
Sorry for the long answer, which is about 1/3 of my first version, but it appears I have too much time on my hands. Alx

Thanks for the answer Alex!

Sharpman