Unknown Awasedo Fine Grit Japanese Natural Sharpening Stone 3lb. 13oz. (1726g)
***The weight of the whetstone is included the wooden block*** 204mmX78mmX25mm
It might be Narutaki, because the paper box with the stone describes.
#4000 to #6000 for mid-range in the fine grit for high carbon blade
It looks it is not too hard and not too soft, and it is not finest grit in the fine grit stone, but it is fast cut and it is mid-range in the fine grit stone.
It is used old Japanese natural stone that still have the top side of the original paper case.
It says Narutaki, so it might be from Narutaki mine.
It comes with an wooden block which is very well made.
Hardness-------------8.6
It raises very good amount of black slurry.
I felt it is fast cut stone.
It looks that it does not need tomo nagura or the device to produce the slurry (worn Diamond lapping stone).
(Scale; 1 to 10, 1-3 is very soft muddy rough grit whetstone 3-6 is soft medium grit whetstone, 6-8 is hard medium grit whetstone; 8-10 is fine grit whetstone)
Particle Size----------8.8
It makes my blue II steel Hon kasumi blade knife Hagane became frosted silver color, and Hagane became from frosted silver color to semi-mirror finish.
(Scale; 1 to 10, 1-3 give deep scratch marks to the steel, 3-5 is delete the 1-3 scratches, 5-8 makes 3the steel cloudy, 8-10 makes the steel semi-mirror finish or mirror finish)
Natural whetstone has wider capacity than artificial whetstone, and actually725, we do not know until sharpen blade on the hone for a while. Because artificial whetstone molecules do not break down to smaller sizes, but Natural whetstone molecules are possible to break down to smaller sizes, and those molecules are mixed with sharpened steel molecules, and make Jigane as suitable Jigane color, and Hagane as suitable Hagane color. It is natural mystics.