Asagi Honzan I

Very Big Asagi 1

Large Asagi Honzan

This Awase, or Honzan, has good hardness but it is not overly hard. When honing, the feedback is very clear and easy to interpret. The size is impressive, and it’s a fairly heavy and dense stone also.

This stone has a fissure that runs from what you see in the photo as the top right corner, down along the long side in front, and along the bottom of the left side. The fissure seemed to be stable; tapping on the stone over the fissure with a hammer didn’t do anything. I sealed the stone with 4 layers of very thin lacquer; the first two coats were extremely thin and they penetrated the fissure well. The next two layers were a bit thicker and you have to really look to see the fissure line; but it’s there. 

Originally – I wasn’t going to take this stone but my contact assured me that it is a good quality stone and worth the effort. I believe he is correct – I’ve honed a number of razors on this stone and it’s quite nice to work with. After I decided that there was nothing to be concerned with – I figured I’d use this as my daily bench stone and I’ve been working with it a lot; it’s turned out to be a very consistent stone.    

Most stones have some sort of liability or distraction. I usually stay away from those with issues that present problems when honing razors. The fissure on this one though, it’s out of the way and runs along the bottom and it’s entirely possible that it is a superficial fissure that only penetrates a millimeter or two from the surface. Of course, that’s a guess and I can’t predict the future; but my feeling is that it’ll be fine for many lifetimes and possibly forever. 

The top is lapped, the edges are chamfered and the sides and bottom are sealed.

Approx. Dimensions: 7.6 x 2.9 x 1.4” / 193 x 74 x 36 mm

Weight: 49 oz / 1384 g


© Keith V Johnson 2014 - 2024