Tsushima Nagura

Each Tsushima Nagura is sold indivisually. The listed price applies to one stone only.

Tsushima Nagura — Lacquer-Sealed & Hand-Wrapped

A carefully prepared Tsushima Nagura, sealed with Japanese cashew lacquer and hand-wrapped with cord for protection, stability, and a secure grip.

Tsushima stone is known for its fine, dense structure and refined abrasive character. Because the stone can be susceptible to cracking through repeated wetting and drying, the sides and back of this nagura have been carefully sealed with Japanese lacquer, a durable lacquer coating used as a practical alternative to natural urushi. This protective finish helps stabilize the stone while leaving one face exposed as the working surface.

Over the lacquered body, a cord is tightly wrapped to provide a secure, non-slip grip. The cord itself is then coated and set with the same lacquer, creating a durable and practical finish.

Each corner has been carefully chamfered so that the nagura sits naturally and comfortably in the hand. Only one face is intended as the working surface, while the remaining surfaces are protected.

A Fine Nagura for Natural Finishing Stones

Tsushima Nagura is particularly well suited to working with fine natural finishing stones.

It can be used to raise slurry on stones that do not readily release it, refresh and condition the working surface, and make fine corrections to the stone face.

In Japanese sword polishing, Tsushima Nagura is also used for conditioning and correcting the surface of Uchigumori stones. These same characteristics make it highly useful with other fine natural finishing stones, where it can help prepare the stone surface and generate a controlled, fine slurry.

Rather than being simply a slurry stone, Tsushima Nagura can function as a conditioning nagura—a tool for managing both the slurry and the working condition of the finishing stone.

Improving the Feel and Performance of the Stone

Used appropriately, Tsushima Nagura can noticeably change the way a finishing stone behaves during sharpening.

The fine slurry created between the nagura and the stone can produce a smoother, more controlled gliding sensation and feedback, making hard or less responsive finishing stones easier and more comfortable to work with.

Regular conditioning can also help clear accumulated swarf and surface loading, refreshing the working face and helping prevent the stone from becoming glazed or less responsive.

By refreshing the abrasive surface and introducing a controlled fine slurry, the nagura can also help produce more consistent and effective cutting action, particularly when working with fine natural finishing stones.

A clean and properly conditioned surface can further help reduce the chance of stray or unwanted scratches caused by accumulated swarf, loose particles, or irregularities on the stone surface—an important consideration during refined finishing work.

In practical terms, Tsushima Nagura can offer several benefits:

• Smoother, more controlled feedback and glide during sharpening
• Helps clear loading and refresh the stone’s working surface
• Improved and more consistent cutting action
• Helps reduce the risk of unwanted scratches during fine finishing

Its particularly fine abrasive character makes it well suited to delicate finishing work, where control, consistency, and refinement are more important than aggressive cutting.

While this compact piece has been prepared specifically as a nagura, larger pieces of Tsushima stone have also been used as sharpening stones, including for the fine sharpening and finishing of traditional Japanese razors.

Prepared as a Tool, Not Simply a Piece of Stone

What distinguishes this Tsushima Nagura is not only the natural stone itself, but the care taken in preparing it as a functional tool.

The Japanese cashew lacquer sealing, hand-wrapped grip, carefully chamfered form, and single exposed working face create a nagura that is comfortable and secure in the hand while helping protect the stone from repeated wetting and drying.

For those who work seriously with Japanese natural whetstones, this is more than simply a means of producing slurry. It is a finely prepared tool for refreshing, maintaining, and conditioning the working surface of a finishing stone—and bringing out more of its natural sharpening character.

How to Use

After flattening and preparing the surface of your finishing stone, apply water to the stone’s working surface. Gently rub the Tsushima Nagura over the surface with light pressure to raise a fine slurry and condition the surface of the finishing stone.

Once the desired slurry and surface condition are achieved, rinse the nagura after use and allow it to dry naturally. Avoid prolonged soaking in water.

Specifications

• Size: 40mm × 40mm × 40mm
• Weight: 189g