Miyamoto Musashi
Well-Known Member
Every stone I have come across is above 1k now.
Why is Mikawa Nagura so expensive?
- Thread starter Miyamoto Musashi
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$1+ / g is pretty typical these days for high quality mikawa. There just isn’t much stock of it out there, especially in sizes upwards of 700g or so
Miyamoto Musashi
Well-Known Member
Unrelated, but how often do you use yours? Is it a staple for you?
Over priced, shop around more as it should not be pulling that price unless it’s stamped koma.
https://instagram.com/wago_knife_works_japan?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
https://ikkyu-japanavenue.online/co...mikawa-chu-nagura-1217g-from-aichi-pref-japan
https://ikkyu-japanavenue.online/co...mikawa-chu-nagura-chunk-1484g-from-aichi-pref
https://instagram.com/wago_knife_works_japan?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
https://ikkyu-japanavenue.online/co...mikawa-chu-nagura-1217g-from-aichi-pref-japan
https://ikkyu-japanavenue.online/co...mikawa-chu-nagura-chunk-1484g-from-aichi-pref
spaceconvoy
Senior Member
That's the last natural stone I'm interested in, one day I'll try one
edit: who am I kidding
edit: who am I kidding
@EricEricEric is mostly right, Koma and Mejiro are the ones that pull big money. Assumed that’s what we were talking about given the pricing @Ethan mentioned. Chu nagura can be found at much more reasonable prices.
I sold my big block of chu, I did like it though. I’m still looking for the right Koma for myself. They’re kinda niche stones if you ask me, although quite good ones. Koma and Mejiro are an interesting alternative to Kyoto area soft suita in that they bring a similar refinement but much different polish, namely brighter and more detailed. The chu nagura, for me, fall more into the liminal space between midgrits and finishers (I guess pre-finisher spot…?) alongside finer Aizu examples. They’re consistent in grit and relatively fast. Leaves a nice finish. But, it’s not something I feel the need to keep around.
I sold my big block of chu, I did like it though. I’m still looking for the right Koma for myself. They’re kinda niche stones if you ask me, although quite good ones. Koma and Mejiro are an interesting alternative to Kyoto area soft suita in that they bring a similar refinement but much different polish, namely brighter and more detailed. The chu nagura, for me, fall more into the liminal space between midgrits and finishers (I guess pre-finisher spot…?) alongside finer Aizu examples. They’re consistent in grit and relatively fast. Leaves a nice finish. But, it’s not something I feel the need to keep around.
Miyamoto Musashi
Well-Known Member
I see. Is “Asano” a company that controls the supply of Koma? Or does that refer to something else?
There’s a few different mines, that one is ran by him. Each stone must be tested to understand how fine it is.
The stone I have is very comparable with the koma I’ve used.
What makes these stones special is when they’re used to burnish.
The stone I have is very comparable with the koma I’ve used.
What makes these stones special is when they’re used to burnish.
Here are my best examples for this shiro nagura, I would say it’s a more difficult stone to use however it’s incredibly unique and capable
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Nice knife and beautiful finish!
One of the things I personally enjoy when using Nagura is what @ethompson said; the brightness and detailed nature of polishes almost seems to defy logic.
That is, it always seems finer/brighter when sharpening on the stone itself as opposed to slurrying another stone.
They seem to have coarser tactile feel when used as nagura/slurry stones than the fine/bright finish when used as a bench stone.
Awesome topic!
One of the things I personally enjoy when using Nagura is what @ethompson said; the brightness and detailed nature of polishes almost seems to defy logic.
That is, it always seems finer/brighter when sharpening on the stone itself as opposed to slurrying another stone.
They seem to have coarser tactile feel when used as nagura/slurry stones than the fine/bright finish when used as a bench stone.
Awesome topic!
Grayswandir
Senior Member
It's so expensive because people are buying through middle men, rather then going directly to Sakamoto (the holder of the Asano stamps) to buy nagura stones. The bench stones are always going to be more expensive, and the best stones go to the sword makers. Paying $1 a gram is highway robbery, but the big chunks sell for a premium. A lot of the larger chunks of Koma that I've been seeing sold have more black specks in them. I'm not sure if this means the quality of the koma is lesser, but the pure white (Betsu jou) is more sought after, and more expensive. The mines are closed, at least the Mikawa nagura mines, so all of the nagura stones being sold today have been sitting in warehouses for decades.
Regarding black spots, they can scratch the blade if sharpened directly on the stone if they're highly concentrated enough..... They don't really effect much if used as nagura on other stones though as less percentage of the nagura is being used.
Grayswandir
Senior Member
I've noticed the koma Sakamoto's been selling lately is the spotted variety.
Large slab of koma
I've never seen one quite like the one in the link before. Usually it's not as concentrated, so this might be a good example of what you were talking about.
Grayswandir
Senior Member
Check out this one, it's described as "treasure found in the back of the warehouse". It has a kan pattern on the stone.
More koma
And here's an example of the speckled koma:
Speckled koma
More koma
And here's an example of the speckled koma:
Speckled koma
Cool link, thanks for dropping.
That would be a prime example of a piece that has the higher concentration of spots and would most likely scratch a blade if sharpened directly on.
Here's a piece that's voluminous but not as wide. It clocks in at 501 grams and is Pure betsuju with absence of any spots. It just got offered to me recently and intrigued me. As ethompson and others stated earlier, the 700+gram pieces are really hard to dig up!
That would be a prime example of a piece that has the higher concentration of spots and would most likely scratch a blade if sharpened directly on.
Here's a piece that's voluminous but not as wide. It clocks in at 501 grams and is Pure betsuju with absence of any spots. It just got offered to me recently and intrigued me. As ethompson and others stated earlier, the 700+gram pieces are really hard to dig up!
Grayswandir
Senior Member
That's a really nice chunk of koma. Pure white too, which is nice. What did you think of that slab of koma with the kan pattern? I'd be really curious as to how hard it would be, and if it would be a nice chunk for a razor. It's out of my price range anyway. I stick with the smaller nagura stones. It would be nice to get a bench sized piece at some point, a luxury really.
The one with Kan looks much cleaner for sure. Have you bought from that store before? I always take pause when I see vendors selling those tiny, random pieces with no Layer stamp.... they very well could be great and I could be overly paranoid though 
I just know there is a lot of fake stamped mikawa nagura out there.... so much so that Sakamoto has a free koma authentication service now where you can send in your piece of Koma as long as you're fully transparent as to who/where you bought it from. They have a list of vendors selling fake Nagura knowingly. I've always been very interested to see who's on that list...
I just know there is a lot of fake stamped mikawa nagura out there.... so much so that Sakamoto has a free koma authentication service now where you can send in your piece of Koma as long as you're fully transparent as to who/where you bought it from. They have a list of vendors selling fake Nagura knowingly. I've always been very interested to see who's on that list...
Grayswandir
Senior Member
This is Sakamoto's store in Japan. He's the holder of all the red Asano stamps. He knew Iwasaki and his father was part of the venture to start grading nagura stones back in the late 50's and early 60's in Japan. This is the best place to by nagura stones on the Internet. I've bought a few stones from him, all of them have been excellent.The one with Kan looks much cleaner for sure. Have you bought from that store before? I always take pause when I see vendors selling those tiny, random pieces with no Layer stamp.... they very well could be great and I could be overly paranoid though
I just know there is a lot of fake stamped mikawa nagura out there.... so much so that Sakamoto has a free koma authentication service now where you can send in your piece of Koma as long as you're fully transparent as to who/where you bought it from. They have a list of vendors selling fake Nagura knowingly. I've always been very interested to see who's on that list...
There's literally no chance you'll get a fake stamp from Sakamoto-san, he checks other stones for fake stamps. His family has been stamping these stones for the past 60 years or so, give or take a few years.
Oh nice! I've never gotten in to yahoo auctions but a lot of you guys are convincing me to start looking! Thanks for the share/info. That should help a bunch of people on here in hunting for nagura! I've gotten more and more into razors over the last few years and really love how you can really feel the intricacies of natural stones with a razor on the stone.
If I'm ever looking for more sets of Asano Nagura, I'll have to give the shop a try! Thanks for the links!
If I'm ever looking for more sets of Asano Nagura, I'll have to give the shop a try! Thanks for the links!
Grayswandir
Senior Member
There are a few places I've bought nagura from, and they were real but the stones were smaller (though they arrived at my house from Japan in four days after ordering). With Sakamoto, you're getting much more for your money even with shipping included. You also know you're getting genuine Asano stamped Mikawa nagura stones.
I love Jnats, in my opinion they produce a much better edge then synthetic stones for straight razors. I still need/want to try some other natural stones (black arks, Thuringians, That hard English stone, Charnley Forest?, and maybe a few others) but man do I love Japanese natural stones.
Grayswandir
Senior Member
Hey Eric,
While I would generally agree, Yasuko from Japan Avenue is a pretty excellent seller. The info you see on her stones are provided to her by the wholesalers, so I wouldn't always say it's the gospel truth, but she's a trustworthy vendor. If there's a problem she'll work it out with you. Some of the un-stamped nagura stones are really good, so just because it might not have the Asano stamp, it can still be an excellent stone. I have an old Mikawa nagura stamped by someone, not Asano or Sakamoto, but man is it a nice little stone. It's a fast cutter and leaves a sweet kasumi finish. I think it's tenjou, but it could be koma. I really have to shave with it to get an idea what it might be. Even after that the result is not definitive. I have a tokkyuu tenjou that I swear is much finer then both of my mejiro, so thinking linear in regards to these stones doesn't always work.
