Tanaka Toishi Michibiki Whetstone #320 (WA)

Tanaka Toishi is a small shop in Kyoto with a long standing history in (natural)whetstones dating back several decades. They are next to one of the most well established natural stone supplier and a company that produce synthetic stones. Tanaka Toishi synthetic stones are some of our most high end man-made stones with the WA & CG lines being my personal favourites.



Probably out most used whetstone here in the shop. It’s a rough stone with a very pleasant hardness, unlike other stones in this grit it is not too soft. It has an incredible cutting power and feedback on carbon but also on stainless steel. For pesky hard and high carbide stainless steels this is a perfect stone. It feels faster then most 220# stones but the scratches are not as deep and easy to remove. A very nice stone to set your bevels on for polishing and edge sharpening

Please try to utilise as much of the surface of the stone to minimise dishing. In all cases whetstones need to be kept flat to insure consistent results. This can be done with flattening plates or stones. Find them on the ‘sharpening accessory’ page.
To flatten properly, use a pencil to draw a grit on the surface of the stone. Once all pencil marks are lapped of the stone is flat. Chamfer the edges and corners of the stone for extra safety.

Always clean and dry the stones properly before storing. Metal leftover can rust overtime. It is very beneficial to flatten post sharpening to leave a clean surface.
Do not drop whetstone as they can chip or even break. Leaving a stone submerged in water for extended periods can make it more fragile.