This is a vintage natural finishing stone from Narutaki, Kyoto.

Narutaki has long been recognized as one of Kyoto's foremost natural whetstone-producing areas. From the Meiji period (1868–1912) through the Showa period (1926–1989), its stones were widely used by chefs, carpenters, sword polishers, and barbers throughout Japan.

This particular stone is a high-quality finishing stone distributed during the middle of the Showa era (approximately the 1950s–1970s). Based on the surviving label, it is believed to have been mined from one of the quarry sections known as No. 1, No. 2, or No. 3 Mountain within the Narutaki district. These quarries have all been closed for many years, making examples that still retain their original period labels exceptionally rare today.

In recent years, particularly among sword polishers, the name "Narutaki" has often been used as a collective term for Kyoto's eastern whetstone-producing region, including famous areas such as Nakayama and Shoubudani. Historically, however, Narutaki was one of Kyoto's principal independent whetstone-producing districts, and from before World War II through the Showa period, it was traded and recognized as a distinct quarry area in the same manner as Nakayama and Shoubudani.

The stone still bears the original inscriptions "Shohonyama Narutaki" (正本山鳴滝), "Tokusenhin" (特撰品 / Special Selection), and the distributor's original trademark. These markings suggest that the distributor regarded this stone as one of its specially selected premium-quality products.

The stone has a dense, hard structure and offers excellent cutting performance. For users who wish to maximize sharpening speed, using a nagura stone is recommended to generate slurry more quickly. During our test sharpening, however, the stone produced a fine, refined slurry naturally, even without a nagura, allowing the edge to develop gradually into an almost mirror-polished finish. Its refined finishing characteristics make it particularly well suited for finishing straight razors, where precision and edge quality are of the highest importance.

Beyond its outstanding practical performance, this stone is also a highly desirable collector's piece, preserving an authentic part of Kyoto's natural whetstone history and culture from the Showa era.

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 : 69mm×196mm×17-25mm ( Approx.) 

Weight: 910g