Oouchi (Medium - No Base)

This particular awasedo from the Oouchi was recommended to us by one of our natural stone dealers.  I actually have owned one of these for quite a while.  While considering options to replace our dwindling stock of takashima awasedo, we decided to introduce these as well.  Like the new Hideriyama we have introduced, these are similar to our takashima awasedo.  They are equally muddy, about the same in terms of hardness (a little softer actually, but close), and about the same in terms of finish. I have found them to leave a slightly smoother looking finish, and a bit more contrast on kasumi finishes.  They are a bit more porous than the takashima awasedo.  You can expect about an 8k finish for the most part.
 
The sides of this stone are lacquered to add protection and stability to the stone.
 
Natural stones from this region are rich in silica, which acts as a main abrasive. This regions' natural stones all have about the same fineness of girt to being with (around 6-8k) and the potential finish can go up from there, depending on the stone hardness, the pressure you use during sharpening, water, etc.
 
This stone should be used like a splash and go stone... add just enough water to lubricate the surface, but not too much.  The goal is to develop mud, so keeping the surface very wet is prohibitive to mud development.