Kokūzō – Silent Strength from the Mountains of Ehime
The current Tōishiyama quarry is located on Mount Mizunashi, beside Mount Kokuzō, named after Kokūzō Bosatsu (Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva), once enshrined there.
Stones known as Kokūzō from this region are ash-brown and unpatterned, but hold a quiet presence—as if they contain a piece of the vast sky itself, sealed in stone and shaped by time.
These stones are very hard and fine-grained, offering superb performance as mid-finishing stones. Used with a diamond plate or Nagura, they produce an exceptionally smooth and controlled sharpening surface.
Its appearance may be rugged, but the sharpening feel is honest and dependable. A no-nonsense stone with quiet confidence—tough, but trustworthy.
