Sand - Natural Whetstone

How to use

- Sprinkle on the grindstone to use as mud

・Sprinkle directly on blades and use cork etc. to remove rust from cutting edges, flats etc.

・Used to polish metal products using cork etc.

The pottery stone quarried from Iyo Minashiyama includes whetstones called Iyo Meito,

It is produced as a raw material for ceramics.

For the production of each product, the stones are selected by the skilled craftsman.

There are different standards for selecting ceramic raw materials.

The quality of ceramic raw materials is classified into four grades: Grade 1 (white), Grade 2, Grade 3, and Grade 4 (blue).

Only first-grade porcelain is used for ceramics such as Tobe ware and Arita ware.

(including some second-grade viscosity adjustment)

Grade 1 is pure white pottery stone called Shiro, and grade 3 corresponds to the wood grain of Iyomeito.

Grade 2 refers to stones that have a mixture of white and wood grain areas.

And the stone called Ao is pure white just like the first grade.

It is called "Ao" because it looks pale to the artisan's eyes.

It is not used as a raw material for ceramics because it turns pitch black when fired.

To be able to distinguish between Grade 1 and Blue fish by appearance

It is said that it will take about 10 years.

There are some blues that cannot be used as ceramics.

In terms of whetstone selection, it has been referred to as Grade 1 in past literature.

For this reason, different perspectives are required to judge whetstones and ceramic raw materials.

It is said that selectors for each product require different periods of training.

By the way, according to the above literature, the wood grain is also called grade 3 from the perspective of the whetstone.

As Miotsukushihime, I want to clear my name of the stigma of being a Grade 3 wood grain.

Regarding "Hime no Kona," from the viewpoint of ceramic raw materials connoisseurs

Only first-class stones are used, making it very sticky.

It is an easy-to-use abrasive powder that provides a fine finish.

Also, as an easy-to-understand comparison of the difference between white and blue,

Iyo Meito's Koume cracks that are brown are classified as Ao.

Occasionally, cracks appear pink, which is the first grade of ceramic raw material.

It is the raw material for Hime no Kona, also known as Shiro.

About Pebbles

A small pebble is enclosed in the small bottle of "Hime no Kona."

This is a small piece of pottery stone quarried from Mount Mizunashi and is called Keiriseki.

There are rivers and fields near Mt. Mizunashi, and many fireflies can be seen.

Tobe Town is known as the home of fireflies, and the whetstone is named after it.

I hope that whetstones, as fleeting as fireflies, will continue to exist.

Iyomei stone is used to sharpen steel, and one is made of fluorite stone, which also serves as a talisman with the wish for self-sharpening.