I went to Kyoto, and now I'm back...With Lots Of Pics

Oh what a trip!

My wife and I got there on Wednesday, bright and early, and because the weather was so beautiful we went out to Arashiyama, to the northwest, to look at some of the beautiful landscape and a temple or two. But first, o course, I had to go to Bo-oku toishi, a little honeshop I found through www.kyotoishi.com, the website of the "Kyoto Natural Hone Sales Association". It's only about 4 minutes walk from the station...and my wife was agreeable.

I'm glad I did!

The owner, Yasuyuki Bo-oku, was friendly and informative. He showed me his workshop, a wonderland of hones both man-made and natural, and helped me with some questions about stones. And, of course, I got some of my own.











As we were leaving, the owner pointed out this mountain, visibale right form his front door:


That's Atagoyama, the highest mountain around Kyoto, and the original source of these stones we all love. From this peak, heading east, you find the five mines which give us "Eastern Things": Okudo, Nakayama, Shoubudani, Narutaki Mukaida, and Oozuku. So cool...

Later in the afternoon, before we headed for our hotel, we stopped in at a local knifeshop, Hayakawa Hamono. Kyoto Hamono, (bladed instruments) are one of its famous products and among the best in Japan (and thus, the world). Hayakawa is a very old name in Kyouhamono, as well as in, and the current owner of this shop has been polishing and honing knives for well over 40 years. He sells all manner of household blades, and of course sharpens and polishes them as well. The knives he sells are all made by a local blademaker especially for his shop, and are carbon steel sandwiched between stainless steel--the cutting edge is soft carbon steel, but the surfaces are all stainless to prevent damage from oxidation (especially inside the handle, where incipient moisture can cause serious damage).

We picked up some knives and I talked stones and knives, and he even had some old Kamisori to show me. A great place.








The next day was rainy so we spent it wandering around shopping and eating, going through Nishiki market, and enjoying being together in a beautiful city.

And then Friday was another stone day!

First, we looked for Hatakenaka Hone shop, but I screwed up my map and we couldn't find it. Dammit. They look like they've got some great stuff...

But we went on, and I ended up at Imanishi Toishi. The owner was gone, but his wife let me wander around their storehouse and ask questoins. She couldn't answer much, so she recommended I go down the street to Tanaka Toishi. But first I got some pictures:









A wonderful selection, ranging from massive pieces of Nakayama Kiita, to dinner-plate sized Oozuku Koppa, to tons and tons of Aoto.

I wish I could have talked to the owner, but there's always next time!

Then it was off to Tanaka!

This was a much more compact shop, but it was filled to the brim with stones. The owner was there (as was his whole family), and he was super helpful and informative, and he had some amazing stones.





From left to right, that's a Nakayama Suita (sunashi), an Ohkudo (with GORGEOUS marking) and another that is enormously thick. And those prices go from about US$1,700 to US$2,200 to US$4,400. Amazing.

All in all, I saw some amazing stones, met some great people, and had so much fun it should be a crime. Well worth it!

Now, a bit of advice for those who are considering going shopping in Kyoto:
1.) Know what KIND of stone you want. Don't worry so much about names (kiita, asagi, etc.), worry about qualities--hardness, fineness, etc., and how much you want to spend. If you just go in and ask for a good hone, you will see stones going up to the thousands of dollars. If you go and and ask for a stone with the qualities you need (hard, fine, etc.) at a certain price, then you might have better luck. Just remember, I didn't see a single stone for less than 5000 JPY, or about US$55, and they were all very small and irregular.
2.) The owners of these shops are running businesses--they will be MUCH happier to talk and help you out if you appear serious about buying.
3.) Bring a translator if you don't speak Japanese. I'm serious. It might be POSSIBLE to communicate using gestures and a dictionary, but it's not something you want to waste people's time with. And no one I met spoke any English.
4.) (An addendum) Bring something to hone! The shops all had a place to try the stones, and all of the owners suggested I use the hones before I bought to see if it was what I wanted. I only wish I'd had a razor.
5.) Have fun!

With that in mind, here's a map:

View Whetstones In Kyoto Updated in a larger map