Tsushima Nagura Japanese Natural Stones Whetstones (JNATs) - Polishing, Sharpening Examples & Uses

About Japanese Natural Stones (JNATs)
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Japanese Natural Stones (JNATs) Glossary & Kanji
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Japanese Natural Stones - JNAT Visual Definitions Guide
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Nagura & Mikawa Asano Information
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Japanese Natural Stone (JNATS) Use and Maintenance
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Japanese Natural Stones (JNATs) Buying Tips
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Japanese Natural Stone (JNATs) Mines List
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Japanese Natural Stone Strata Information
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Reputable Japanese Natural Stones (JNAT) & Nagura Sellers
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Natural vs Synthetic Whetstones Information:
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[@minchogaberov6271]

Very good language : ) Thank you!

[@naturalwhetstones]

Thank you!

[@SeaDragonGod]

I love leaning about the meaning of the names of the stones from your videos.

[@user-bt9td6tk9d]

Super conclusion/summary after an extremely informative video. Thanks for that!

[@naturalwhetstones]

Glad it was helpful!

[@KitchenKnifeGuy]

Super informative man. Just got this stone and was going to do a review. Was just fact checking a few things so this was insanely helpful, thank you!

[@naturalwhetstones]

Glad it was helpful and thanks :)

I ordered one for my polishing progression, can't wait to try it! Can't wait to see how an uchigumori or Umajiyama Namito will do after this one 😏

[@naturalwhetstones]

Very nice! I think it will excel as a prestep to those.

[@thaicheongcheah9623]

thank for the information! i am very new to japanese natural stone ,but now i think i got a wrong one…

[@naturalwhetstones]

Happy to help, why do you say that?

[@thaicheongcheah9623]

@@naturalwhetstones thank you for reply！Because i got 2 tsushima ，one is a normal looking tsushima，it got a kanji at the side that said it is tsushima ，and the performance is the same as what you said。then i got another tshshima，this one look nothing like that， its has some natural stone pattern at the side and the back（i buy this tsushima because of this，because its look more natural and beautiful compared to the other one that almost look like synthetic stone），them after i use it feel so strange because it feel more finer but not too much compare with my other tsushima，and it has 2 toxic mineral line。 i dont know if i just got a wrong stone or its just a lower quality tsushima，it would be very helpful if you can help me out！ thank you！

[@thaicheongcheah9623]

@@naturalwhetstones but both are black in colour，and i naver saw other black jnats ，the only black jnats that i know is tsushima，but i am very new to this so maybe i miss something. thank you for the reply！

[@edwardrutledge2765]

Where would you recommend shopping for one of these? Any hints on what to avoid?

[@naturalwhetstones]

Aframes is a good website to look at for them, I think. You can also look on eBay. I would avoid any that are not sealed up, and any that have already cracked. They are very pure stones so not much to worry about in the form of inclusions.

[@stevecho]

Thank you for this! I've been using my tsushima nagura benchstone incorrectly it seems. I have this and a umajiyama namito. would preceding both with a 2k synthetic be sufficient as a complete progression?

[@naturalwhetstones]

Yeah I would think so, and then the Tsushima likely before the Umajiyama unless it is super soft. I don't think I talk much about it in the video but soaking the Tsushima for 15 mins can help

[@jue28]

Hii may I know what knife were you using?the brand and model . Thanksss

[@naturalwhetstones]

Hitohira petty made forged by nakagawa

[@jue28]

150mm?

[@naturalwhetstones]

@@jue28 Yes I believe so

[@Gennady11111]

Здравствуйте, я для ножей использую Бинсуй, Айзу, Охира Сиро Суита Ренгэ, и еще у меня есть красный редкий Иромоно Что еще можете посоветовать из мягких камней для ножей???

[@naturalwhetstones]

Seems like you already have a good range. A nagura to bridge the Aizu to Awasedo gap could be good, an Aoto could be interesting if you are just sharpening. Without knowing your goals or is hard to really suggest something though.

[@jacksonvile12345678]

Burnishing will still remove metal, at a potentially incredibly slower rate, but it does in fact 100% remove metal and thus scratches. When the stone is at its hardest and even with a slurry it will cut incredibly fine and still end up burnishing if it’s a hard enough stone. Burnishing has nothing to do with the condition of the surface, it has to do with the stone releasing particles or not. It is possible to burnish on any stone in any grit range as long as the stone is hard enough, the hardness is the only key factor to burnishing as the hardest stones do not release particles in any kind of meaningful quantity. When a Tsushima is fully hydrated and the oxidized top is fully removed no atoma is needed. The stone will become very soft and easily self sluries. This is how the stone was originally intended to be used when it was new. When the stone was first cut it was incredible soft and that’s why it’s virtually ALWAYS wrapped in rice paper and coated with urushi. As with a hard perfect stone there’s no reason for rice paper or urushi. Try to remember that virtually all of the stones we are using are incredibly old oxidized and severely dehydrated Great videos 👍🏻

[@naturalwhetstones]

Yeah you are 100% correct. Obviously we know water on stone erodes it overtime! I guess when I speak on it, I speak more colloquially on the topic rather than "technically". We generally consider burnishing to be removing so little metal that it isn't usually accomplishing the goal when we think of "grinding off metal". You are spot on though. How many Tsushimas have you tested? I've certainly had some that even fully soaked and dug into they are still not self-slurrying stones. I think I have probably tested about 10 of them? I would say 2 were that way. YMMV as with any natural stone though. Most people though are going to run into oxidization and I have found soaking these stones for too long risks cracking them. I think it is safer to treat them as in the video unless you are fine with the risk. Thanks for your feedback!

[@bobusy]

Thank you for this useful video! Would you recommend to soak Tsushima stones before use and if so for how long ... or just splash and go?

[@naturalwhetstones]

To soak your stone or not is a fairly personal choice. In my opinion, I don't soak almost any stone as I want them to last as long as possible. Soaking stones increases the probability of developing a crack later. Tsushima stones are liable to crack, which is why they are almost always sealed before selling with rice paper and lacquer. While most stones should be sealed, these ones above others need it. My recommendation is - no. I think they are fairly splash and go (though I think all stones benefit from water on the top for about 30 seconds before you start). I would not soak it myself though.

[@bobusy]

@@naturalwhetstones Thanks for your response. I share the same opinion, but according to some people soaking the Tsushima is making it more softer and easier to use... Finally the more important is the safety of the stones...

[@naturalwhetstones]

@@bobusy It will *certainly* make it softer, there is no question there. It is just if you find the risk acceptable!

[@bolaroberts]

How does it compare to the Aizu, in terms of bite and edge refinement? I ask this question because many people consider Aizu to be the King of the utilitarian edge for kitchen knives.

[@naturalwhetstones]

It is a tad finer and a tad less toothy than Aizu. They still deliver a similar Nakatoishi edge, but this one is taking a step towards a finer feeling. I also agree that probably within the JNAT world Aizu is hard to beat if you want a toothy workhorse edge, but I do want to say that I actually think many non-Japanese stones are fantastic for that use and probably beat Aizu at it. Many though only want to consider Japanese stones.

[@bolaroberts]

@@naturalwhetstones Thanks for your help! Could you tell me which non-Japanese stones you referenced would be similar or better than Aizu?

[@naturalwhetstones]

@@bolaroberts Similar may be a bit of a misnomer. All of them have their own personalities. Hindostan, Washita, "fast" Coticules and certain Welsh Slates can all be amazingly good knife stones and in many ways better than Aizu by being faster with more durable abrasive than Aizu. Aizu's real benefit is in it's jack of all trades, it has "decent" speed for "pretty shallow" scratches and "fairly good" durability for both polishing and sharpening. I think TBH you need to be polishing with Aizu or have a Japanese-only kink to make it more valuable at just the knife sharpening jobs when compared to those. Mind you I think Aizu still keeps up with them, but I think there are some qualities the others offer that makes them better for knife sharpening. They also all have a far greater range than an Aizu, however none are as good as Aizu for polishing. That is my 2 cents at least.

[@bolaroberts]

Could it be a good option after Maruoyana Shiro Suita in a progression set?

[@naturalwhetstones]

This would be before a Maruoyama Shiro Suita, as would almost all other nagura.

[@bolaroberts]

@@naturalwhetstones Thanks!!

[@ericlipps7152]

I ended up getting one of these, but mine is only 20cm thick. Yours looks twice as thick. Also it came severely out of flat on one of the long sides. Hate to have to grind all that off.I suppose I'll have to use my 140 atoma to flatten it.Does this sound like a good plan?

[@naturalwhetstones]

What is your intended use? A lot of people could work on a not perfectly flat surface for say knife sharpening. Razors yeah flatten it out probably. Depends really on how much stone you are going to lose. At 20mm be careful of it cracking as it's getting pretty thin (guessing you mean mm and not cm, otherwise it's super thick).

[@ericlipps7152]

@@naturalwhetstones I do woodworking tools mostly Japanese. I have a few Japanese knives. So venturing into that I am using your sharpening technique.The angle setting trick really helped out.As for the high spot I think maybe using some of it as a nagura for some of my other stones. Thank you for your channel it is great if one starts from the beginning.

[@naturalwhetstones]

@@ericlipps7152 Thanks man! Keep at it and experiment for sure, that is part of the fun.

[@Master...deBater]

If you do choose to flatten the stone. I'd use a diamond plate and keep all the filings. They can be sprinkled onto a finer stone, wetted and used as a slurry...just as you would use a handheld Tsushima Nagura. Don't use sandpaper because the grit comes off the paper and gets into the fine Tsushima filings...rendering them useless.

[@ericlipps7152]

@@Master...deBater I do use leftover slurry when I can but mostly use 1000 grit green carbonate powder and 400 grit Clover brand silicon carbide grease on dedicated Kannaban plate.