Yaginoshima Suita

[Kit Craft]

The Impressive Yaginoshima Suita:

Yaginoshima is a mine that does not seem to get a lot of press but when it does I never hear anything bad. The more commonly talked about stone is the Asagi and it seems to be touted as a low cost but very functional finishing stone. Interestingly, I have read and heard that Yaginoshima isn’t well known for its Awase-to but is said to yield quality suita. Interesting as that is what we are about to take a look at.

One thing that a friend said to me has stuck in my mind. Not many people talk about the Yaginoshima suita but when they finally buy or use one it leaves them asking why they hadn’t done so earlier. I too am in that camp.

I will say that this stone is harder and finer than what I typically like. It is not something I would use as an everyday stone on narrow double bevels such as a gyuto, however, I still like the stone and I feel that it is one that a lot of other people would enjoy.

Forenote:

This isn’t the first Yaginoshima I have used nor is it the only that I own. It is however the first Yagi. Suita that I have used. As such I can not say much about the consistence from stone to stone.

Background:

This is a mine that I have heard little about and have not been able to find much information about online either. What I can say is that it seems that this mine is located near the famous Aoto mines in Kameoka. This seems to be the same region that Oouchi and Muroyama come from as well. It seems the mine is located east of Mt. Ohira and is known to produce Iromono, Asagi, Karasu and suita.

One thing I can note is that stones from this mine seem to be medium hard to moderately hard and quite fast at removing metal. Really, that is about all I know in terms of the stones background.

Measurements:

Weight: 1250 grams (2 pounds 12.092 ounces)
Length: 215.9mm (8.5 inches)
Width: 88.9mm (3.5 inches)
Thickness: 31.75mm (1.25 inches)
Shape: Mostly rectangular

Feedback:

So this one is what I would generally consider outside of my wheelhouse. It is hard and unforgiving much like a Shapton Glass stone, however, it seems to still have very responsive tactile feedback. Yeah, to me that is odd as the harder the stone the less feedback it tends to have or at least that has been the case up until now.

This stone is smooth to the touch both when wet and dry. That is when you are running your hand along the surface. If you get your knife bevel on the stone things begin to change. Don’t get me wrong, this stone can be glassy but it shouldn’t be if you are on your angle, and that is the key! This stone is not forgiving, not at all. If you go over your angle you will skip across the stone or come to a dead stop depending how far off you are. If you go under you will slide as if you have no traction on an icy pond. However, if you are dead on your angle you will feel a grippy feel. A very faint chalky feel, rock hard chalk, but the feeling is there nonetheless. While subtle it is authoritative. You know you are on and you know the stone is cutting.

On wide bevels this stone has more feedback, they all seem too. It is very smooth with very little chalk to it. It is almost glassy but not quite there. Regardless, this is a hard stone and it feels like it. I would compare it to something like a Chosera 10k or Snow white 8k. Hard but with feeling.

Visual feedback is good and immediate on wide bevels. You will see a small puddle of metal swarf suspended in water after the first few passes. On narrow bevels this is similar but more subtle because you are removing not only less steel due to surface area but harder steel as well. The shavings, so to speak, seem smaller. Regardless, you can see what is being done.

Audible feedback is good on this one but it is very faint. This one makes a swoosh noise that is very synthetic sounding. Maybe a little more noticeable than the noise made by a shapton 8k but not by much. You can still hear that particular sound that makes it seem like steel is being abraded, though. So it gets a pass.

Management:

Water management is easy, this stone will hold water for a long, long time and it only takes a drop or two from the get-go. This one you have to be careful with to not add too much water as it will become glassy quickly if you do. If you are not seeing swarf buildup then it means you have too much water. This is odd for me as most of my stones want more water, not this one!

Mud management is very easy, there is none. Plain and simple. No mud, just metal swarf and it does not get thick.

Speed:

This stone is fast for what it is. The stone cuts at the 8k level give or take. Maybe the same as my Yagi. Asagi but maybe a bit slower. While it is finer, it cuts faster than Oouchi, Hideriyama and Takashima. About the same as Yagi. Asagi, as I said and slower than Ohira Asagi. Compared to synthetics it is a little slower than my Shatpon Glass 8000 but not a lot slower. I think it is finer too.

It is fast enough to make the jump from Ikarashi but does better with Tajima or Aizu. I would say that means if you were to precede this with a synthetic it would likely need to be in the 3-5k range, possibly finer. Not to say that it could not handle a larger jump but I feel it would be less adequate.

It cuts just fine with every steel I threw at it from simple carbon to moderate stainless. As per usual White 2, Blue 2, SK-4, Aus8 and VG-10.

Finesse:

So how fine is this thing? Is it finer than Yagi. Asagi? I think it is, yes. Not that they are worlds apart, mind you but it is finer. Both of these stones are around the 6-8k range when compared to synthetics. Both are closer to that 8k mark but the Suita is even closer to the 8k mark and possibly a wee bit finer depending on which 8k we use for comparison. For example, it leaves less bite and has a finer edge than my Shapton Glass 8k.

Compared to other naturals I would say it is a fair bit finer than my Ohira Asagi and much finer than my Takashima, Oouchi and Hideriyama. Finer than I really ever need to go with a gyuto but it leaves a ridiculous edge so it is hard to avoid using it on such.

The edge left on this one is very refined. It is not toothy. Don’t confuse that with having a rounded edge, it has bite but it is very, very fine and subtle. I think if there were any less bite it might skate on tomatoes when slicing but not if do a push cut. Yagi. Asagi, for me does not much like cooked protein so I know this won’t either. Not that it won’t work but for me an edge this refined is not ideal for such. Raw protein on the other hand should be fun!

Hair, paper and whatever is a joke at this point. It should be a joke long before this point, anyway.

Cosmetically this one is interesting. If it is Kasumi you seek, this one is not for you. On cladding this leaves a cloudy/broken mirror. It is at the point that you can just start seeing text reflected from newsprint. The core steel is a mirror. I hope this shows okay in the photos but photography is not my niche.

Recap: If you are looking for a synthetic replacement this will be around the 8k+ mark and I know that is what a lot of people are looking for. I think this would be a good one to consider at this level of abrasiveness.

Hardness:

This stone is hard. It is not the hardest natural I have ever used, that honor goes to a Shobudani Mizu Asagi but that is a story for another time. As I said in the feedback section, this stone is Shapton hard. It is about as hard as I would ever want to go for narrow bevels.

Compared to other naturals this is harder than Yagi. Asagi, fairly. It is harder than any Ohira I have ever used. It is harder than Aizu as well, which it pairs up with nicely. Obviously that makes it harder than stones such as Takashima, loads and loads harder.

I have seen a few of this from Mr. Watanabe and they tend to fall between HS-57-62, which is outside of the realm he suggests for beginners. The Yagi. Asagi he has listed over time are always at or under around HS-50, just for reference.

On an x/10 scale I would call this an 8/10, for sure. I find most 7/10 to be hard and 6/10 to be somewhat hard or medium hard. As such I would call this moderately hard.

If you speak in levels I would say this is an easy Lv4 maybe 4.5. Likely somewhere between.

So if you like hard stones, you are set. If you don’t, maybe not so much. However, I don’t like hard stones and I do like this one because it is faster and has good feedback for what it is. A pleasant surprise to say the least.

Dishing:

Yeah, I don’t see this one going out of flat any time soon. It does not flatten easy, though so if you get one you will want to keep up with it. Again that makes it similar to a Shapton glass.

Value:

This one is not easy to find and they range in price. I got what I think was a good deal as I paid $235. I find that to be a more than fair price as it is a large stone. One of the widest that I own. I have seen these listed as high as $1300 but that is not average. Typically when I do see them they are around the $300 mark, which I think is still fair and often cheaper than you will get an Ohira for.

Comparisons to other stones aside, for under $300 this stone is a very fair value. It is fast, fine and beautiful. It has good feedback for a hard stone as well. So for value, it gets a thumbs up from me.

Vanity:

This is a very pretty stone, to me. It has a deep/dark yellow base color with varying shades of brown. There are some blacks, reds and even greens as well. The lines in the stone are all color. I can not feel them at all. Well, there is one on the very edge of the stone that is a hollow line, not a crack, but I can’t reach there with a knife and even if I could these sorts of lines are common in suita that I have used and don’t seem to bother me in use. Regardless, it seems to be a clean stone, in use.

Practicality:

Is this stone practical, maybe. It is in the 8k+ range so it is not needed for double bevels, imo. It is fun to use, though. It might be practical for anyone who likes to use a Suji in the role they would typically use a Yanagi or for someone who wants to sharpen a Yanagi, particularly Ura sharpening.

It might also depend on what you jump to this stone with. For example, if I come from Ikarashi or Binsui to this stone it will retain some bite if I don’t overwork the edge on the suita. However, if I come from something like an Aizu then it has less bite, much less. So maybe more practical for those who like a large jump than those who have a tight progression.

As always, the practicality thing depends on you. Really, all of this does. I am just trying to give you an idea of how it might fit into your progression from my perspective.

Bottom line:

I think I have something special here. I don’t do a lot of single bevel sharpening but I think this stone will work well for flat backs on woodworking tools as well. While not needed on double bevels it is fun to use and leaves a wicked edge. I feel that this one will stay in my possession long after my Asagi finds a new home. While they are not worlds apart I do feel it does everything a little better while being a more attractive package.

As I said, i think this stone might be good for single and wide bevel sharpeners as well as those who do a lot of prep with raw fish. Woodworkers should like this stone as well, I have dabbled over the years but am by no means fluent in the subject. Razor users, maybe but I know some are not comfortable using suita for such things. This particular one seems clean but it does have lines and it does have su and as such could have sand or iron in the future.

To summarize, this is a fast cutting yet fine stone that is hard and precise. While it is not forgiving it does have good feedback and leaves a very refined and scary edge. If you think you need an 8k(ish) replacement in the form of a natural, this might be for you. From the aspect of rarity and vanity this one should also speak to collectors. And that is about all I can tell you.

Is this stone useful for you, I don’t know but it is for me! A big thumbs up and as my friend said to me, I am left wondering why I did not pull the trigger on this one sooner.

[Kit Craft]

Here you can see the stone wet and ready to go. It takes but a drop or two of water and does not drink any. A good looking stone, or at least I think so.



After a single pass this is what you are left with. At least 75% of that is cladding. This takes off fine amounts of core steel.



Here is what you get after a few passes on each side. You can see the swarf increase and the amount of metal in the slurry get more dense but not really any thicker. That is to say that it is all metal and water and not stone or mud.



This is what the scratch pattern looks like. Rather I should say the finish because there are no scratches. It has a very light haze too it with little defined contrast.



Just another angle to help you see what the finish looks like. Again, not loads of contrast and what is there is light. The core steel is very bright and mirror like in person but it does not convey well, for me, in photos.



Here you can see that the finish is what I would call a foggy or broken mirror or a semi mirror finish. It is at the point where text from newsprint is just starting to reflect but is not super shinny.

[Kit Craft]

Edit to add: does anyone else have one of these and could share their opinion? I only know one other person with a yag. Suita and would like to hear other opinions.

Thanks

[halfdana]

Another great review! It just adds to your catalogue of Jnat info which is becoming quite extensive and impressive.
With the way you've structured them, I think they make it easy to navigate and compare between mines and stones, also for people who have different preferences to yours.
I gotta say, from the pictures at least, that I quite like the finish this one seems to leave.
The contrast may not be great, but there's a sort of "play" in the finish. Like irregular ocean waves or something:)

Great job man!

[gladius]

Nice write up...in fact you could be describing my Suita to a tee; though not a Yaginoshima but a Shinden.

[Kit Craft]

Nice write up...in fact you could be describing my Suita to a tee; though not a Yaginoshima but a Shinden.


Shinden_b [1].jpg

Interesting, I have not used a shinden yet! Thank you for reading and commenting.

Another great review! It just adds to your catalogue of Jnat info which is becoming quite extensive and impressive.
With the way you've structured them, I think they make it easy to navigate and compare between mines and stones, also for people who have different preferences to yours.
I gotta say, from the pictures at least, that I quite like the finish this one seems to leave.
The contrast may not be great, but there's a sort of "play" in the finish. Like irregular ocean waves or something:)

Great job man!

Thank you. Funny you should say catalog as I have started a binder/journal for J-nats with my notes, thoughts, stats, photos etc. I am much more of a low tech type. That is not to say that I can not use technology, I can, I grew up with it or through its evolution. However, I am a collector and reader of books so I like paper copies of everything. It also works as a scrap book of sorts where I keep all of my EMS and Fedx type slips. Even gift wrap.

The finish is interesting. I find, and this may be totally esoteric, that the cladding patinas differently with different natural finishes. The more mirror like the finish the slower patina seems to form and I get less brown/yellows or bad colors that need to be wiped away from a lower finish. I do, however, prefer the way the blade feels going through something like mushrooms when the cladding has a rougher finish. That is temporary either way as it all seems to change when the patina sets in.

Again, that all may be in my mind.

As an aside, I used that Tojiro santoku dice a case of mushrooms and a bag off onions yesterday and I still really love that knife. Two years later and I still can not believe it is a $50 knife, performance wise.

[salemj]

Very interesting. Sounds oddly like a lava rock rather than a sedimentary, in that it sounds hard and glassy and seems to produce less mud but still cuts. This makes me curious! Very interesting, indeed. Your reviews have encouraged me to think of natural stones in different ways than I have in the past, and they really inspire me to learn more.

[Kit Craft]

Very interesting. Sounds oddly like a lava rock rather than a sedimentary, in that it sounds hard and glassy and seems to produce less mud but still cuts. This makes me curious! Very interesting, indeed. Your reviews have encouraged me to think of natural stones in different ways than I have in the past, and they really inspire me to learn more.

Glad to hear it. I hope it makes you think of things in a good light.