Nakado recommendations

[dragjp]

Hi Jnat friends,

I'm in searching of a mid-grit Jnat/Nakado to fill in the gaps between my <1k(all synthetic) and >6k polishers, and by reading past forum posts I found the popular solutions are Aizu, Aoto, Natsuya with a few others. The Aizu seems got most love but a bit hard to find now, especially in a good bench stone size.
So..which Jnat would you recommend, and a convenient way to source it? Thanks and !

 

[Choppin]

https://tennentoishi.com/products/aizu-4
this. the end.

edit: but really, Aizu are probably the most consistent stones in the range you mentioned. Aoto and Natsuya could be a bit of a gamble, but there are definitely exquisite examples out there.

but I'd choose an Aizu any day, specially as your first stone in the range. one of the best edges for kitchen use and not a bad polisher either, specially when used in a progression.

 

[dragjp]

https://tennentoishi.com/products/aizu-4
this. the end.

edit: but really, Aizu are probably the most consistent stones in the range you mentioned. Aoto and Natsuya could be a bit of a gamble, but there are definitely exquisite examples out there.

but I'd choose an Aizu any day, specially as your first stone in the range. one of the best edges for kitchen use and not a bad polisher either, specially when used in a progression.

Thanks- indeed that piece from Ed's shop has been in my sight/cart for a while lol. Only thing that itches me a little is the missing corner.
But yeah, Aizu seems the end game choice in this range, with it's consistancy and capabilities.

 

[Choppin]

I understand but I don't think that corner will make a huge difference in use....
something cool about that stone - looks like you could rotate it 90 degrees and sharpen on the longer side. a 166 x 50 face, plenty of space!

 

[Heckel7302]

Thanks- indeed that piece from Ed's shop has been in my sight/cart for a while lol. Only thing that itches me a little is the missing corner.
But yeah, Aizu seems the end game choice in this range, with it's consistancy and capabilities.

I have one of those baby Aizu's from Ed. I like it a lot. I primarily use it as an in hand touch up stone that lives in my knife drawer, but only because I have larger stones in that range. Certainly it's a great inexpensive way to dip your toes into the J-Nat world. The vintage Nasuyas he has are supposed to be really good also. Natsuya, especially those old ones, are very interesting stones. With slurry they cut well and leave a nice scratch pattern. Without slurry they will burnish and leave a much finer finish.

One of these could be fun too. Prices are definitely great

https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/four-stones-price-drop.63809/
Another Aizu option that's considerably larger

https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/3-natural-stones.64200/

 

[dragjp]

Thanks!

Natsuya, especially those old ones, are very interesting stones. With slurry they cut well and leave a nice scratch pattern. Without slurry they will burnish and leave a much finer finish.

And this is interesting to know, makes me what to try one heh

 

[Rangen]

The vintage Nasuyas he has are supposed to be really good also.

Can confirm. My modern Natsuya is literally a doorstop now. Never managed to like anything about it -- the feel, the results. The Natsuya I got from Ed feels like a real JNat and I am glad to have it.

I have not yet gotten into polishing, so I've only used it for edges. For edges, I can't make a case for owning one, the way I can for Aizu or Tsushima (which I prefer to Aoto in the same role). Synthetics do the same sort of job, better and faster. But I really enjoy using it, and I'm grateful to have it.

One thing I haven't tried is taking the old-Natsuya edge straight to the kitchen. I should probably try that before I open my mouth about this topic again.

 

[Pie]

Are we looking to polish, or just edges?

Aizu (from my limited experience) has the potential to be a better, cleaner polisher. Bonus points for tatami mat smell.
Aoto are generally super muddy and often inconsistent in grit size, making them a bit of a paradox for polishing but a very good edge stone as long as you’re not mired in the goo. Mine pops out a near HHT edge completely dry (blind sharpening challenge caused me to miss the stone entirely when spraying water).
Natsuya I haven’t tried. They’re just so much variation in them I’m not ready to buy 5 and test them all. The burnishing power sounds fun by I gotta level myself up first.

Sooooo.. aizu? Full size aizu would be fun. The tiny one I have punches above its weight for sure.

Edit for completeness - binsui ehhhhhh I don’t really know what they are, but they settle in the 1-4k range usually. JNS has them come through every so often. More of a grade/classification than a specific stone? I could be completely out to lunch on that.

Yamagata kazuma I highly recommend. They’re less common and look like every other non descript mid grit, but consistent and fast. Mine leaves a scratch pattern and sits around 2k. Haven’t had many confirmed examples to try, but it’s easily my favourite in the low range.

 

[user 16756]

I have a really nice Aizu and a really nice Natsuya, both from Morihei, and IMO of the two the Natsuya is by far the more special stone in the sense that I cannot really think of a substitute for it. The Aizu is obviously a fair bit finer despite the fact that this Natsuya is a bit finer than most and this Aizu is one of the slightly coarser mint green ones.

I do have some other stones that can substitute for the Aizu though it is my favorite in that grit range