Thread: Japanese razor honing

Originally Posted by OLD_SCHOOL

I was wondering if that may have been the case.

I still don't really know what Jigane means, I know that's a basic translation of the Kanji. But what is earth metal? All metals come from the earth. Heavy metals, precious metals, (whatever you call standard) metals.

I'm not being an @$$ either, I am quite serious, I'd like to know the exact metal. I am of course, not knowledgeable about metals, and am making the assumption that there is no such metal called "earth metal", so feel free to correct me.

As I said I have heard jiganeinterpreted "mother-metal" mother/ earth sorta context; I supposed. In the welded state one might see the jigane giving birth to the edge metal; or the mother providing the support, structure, foundation, for the hagane to exist. If a piece were all hagane it might easily break. A chisel struck with hammer/ pryed upon, a sword impacting at full force; might easily break if all untempered martensite construction. So not prone to existing.

Me, I'm usually serious and as consequence always an ass, but you might also consider the interpretation as meaning the power of earth being most extant in iron: the most kickass and world ruling, society building metal of all time. These days you cannot build an oil derrick, skyscraper or assult rifle with a heathy dose of jigane.

Ok, I've got enough to try the next step, but one final question for the group, and especially kevint -- out of the group of stones I have (BBW, coticule, Nakayama), which would you use here? Thanks!

I'd say just like that: bbw/coti/nakayama