This is a rare natural finishing whetstone from the Ōhira mine in Kyoto, known as an Ōhira Renge Suita.

Beautiful renge (lotus) patterns characteristic of Suita stones are evenly distributed across the entire sharpening surface. Renge Suita stones have become increasingly difficult to obtain in recent years, making this an excellent example not only for practical use but also as a highly collectible stone with the distinctive natural beauty prized by whetstone enthusiasts.

Despite its dense structure, the stone engages the blade extremely well and provides excellent cutting performance. During sharpening, it continuously produces a dark slurry rich in fine steel particles, allowing the blade’s surface to be refined efficiently. Its abrasive action is easy to perceive, while the sharpening feel remains smooth and highly controllable, enabling the user to monitor the blade’s condition and work with consistent precision.

On soft-iron jigane, the stone produces a beautiful, subdued haze that creates a striking contrast with the steel, allowing a refined kasumi finish to be achieved efficiently. It is particularly well suited to polishing the wide bevels of traditional Japanese and laminated kitchen knives, offering an excellent balance of practical cutting power and aesthetic refinement.

The brown lines visible on the sharpening surface are not harmful suji, commonly known as “toxic lines,” which can cause deep scratches during polishing. They are natural hairline patterns known as kesuji and do not adversely affect normal sharpening or the finished surface.

With its beautifully balanced renge patterns, continuously generated dark slurry, excellent cutting performance, and manageable sharpening feel, this Ōhira Renge Suita offers outstanding value both as a highly practical finishing stone and as a collectible piece.

 Please note that these are not for beginner sharpeners since they're harder to use. These are natural stones meaning that every single one of them are different so my measured sizes are not accurate. This is a lifetime investment for people who live sharpening their knives and tools, do not hesitate to ask me your questions.”

Dimension  : 85mm×223mm×60mm ( Approx.) 

 Weight: 2653g