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In general, the only one side of a Japanese hone is finished. I'd assume there is a reason why and that they were intended to be used top down, but I'm still just learning about Japanese hones and...

Very interesting... the stamps on mine are staying just fine. But the stamps on mine are also quite different, so must be a different source and stamp type. Too bad that the stamps rub off these...

Too bad that you're going to have to lap it (have you checked to see how flat she is first?) since you'll lose the characters. I would suggest taking some good photos before lapping them off.
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