Botan | TomoNagura.Com | Keith V. Johnson

Mikawa Shiro Tokkyuu Botan

Sun, 28 Dec 2014 15:49:15 -0500

Asano Stamped Mikawa Shiro Botan Nagura
Approx. Weight: 5.5 oz / 157 g
KJB-17

Betsu Jou Botan

Sun, 28 Dec 2014 15:49:06 -0500

Betsu Jou Mikawa Shiro Botan Nagura
Approx. Weight: 4.7 oz / 133 g
KJB-15

Asano Betsu Jou Botan

Tue, 05 Aug 2014 16:15:34 -0400

Asano Stamped Betsu Jou Botan
Weight 5.6 oz / 160 g
KJB-12

Tokkyuu Botan Koppa

Sat, 28 Jun 2014 11:48:35 -0400

Striped Tokkyuu Botan Nagura Koppa
Striped Botan are often harder and faster than the all white variety. This Koppa is hard, but it will slurry easily. It’s also fast, so setting a razor’s bevel on this stone can be done fairly easily.
Note - these stones are not like synthetics; they are notably slower. However – honing a razor with a 100% natural progression is a wonderful experience and these large slabs of Botan are an ideal choice for the early stages.
This stone isn’t rectangular, but the angled sides aren’t difficult to manage. Circles and x-strokes are managed easily. The top is lapped, the edges are chamfered and the sides, stamps and bottom are sealed with 3 coats of Cashew lacquer.
Approx. Dimensions: 5.0 x 3.5 x 0.75” / 127 x 89 x 19 mm
Weight: 15 oz / 417 g

All White Botan

Fri, 30 May 2014 23:10:24 -0400

Asano Stamped Botan
Weight: 4.8 oz / 135 g
KJB-9

Tokkyujou Botan

Mon, 26 May 2014 22:46:05 -0400

Superior High Grade Asano Stamped Botan Nagura
Approx. Dimension: 2.5 x 2.0 x 1.1” / 64 x 50 x 28 mm
Weight: 5.3 oz / 161 g
KJB-7

Large Asano Botan

Mon, 26 May 2014 22:46:00 -0400

Fully Sealed Asano Stamped Botan Nagura
Approx Dimensions: 2.5 x 2.5 x 1.1” / 64 x 64 x 28 mm
Weight: 7.4 oz 209 g
KJB-4

Mikawa Botan Koppa

Tue, 01 Apr 2014 15:41:22 -0400

Asano Stamped Botan Koppa

This extraordinarily thick and large Botan Koppa is fully sealed in red cashew lacquer to prevent water from seeping in through the sides. All of the Asano stamps are visible including the official Nagayuki Asano stamp, but the red ink of that stamp is somewhat subdued and hard to capture in a photograph. In good light, it’s still visible.

This stone is very fast and it makes short work of setting a bevel. I wouldn’t choose to use it for removing larger chips, but it is more than capable for most bevel-setting work. It’s a pleasure to hone on, and the cutting it does is both efficient and gentle, a major plus when doing heavy work with natural stone like this.

The scratch patterns off this stone are very consistent and easy to remove during the following stage. The honing sensation, or feedback, is pronounced and easy to read. The slurry breaks down slowly, so the cutting action lasts for a good amount of time.

Botan comes in many flavors and with many different personalities. Some are finer than others, and some make slurry that breaks down finer, slower, faster, etc. This Koppa is hard, slightly coarser and slower; all of which makes it perfect for setting bevels on straight razors.
Comments and questions can be sent to me by clicking here.

Approx. Dimensions: 4.5 x 4.4 x 1.4 / 114 x 112 x 36 mm

Weight: 30.1 oz / 854 g

Asano Stamped Botan

Sat, 22 Mar 2014 21:32:40 -0400

Large Botan Nagura
This chunk of Botan is nearly large enough to hone on. It’s a wonderful stone to use for making slurry - the angular shape is very ergonomic. The thickness keeps your fingers and knuckles off the stone too.
This stone is close to pure white - there are some water-seepage lines showing on top but otherwise the stone is very pure white all around.
In use, the slurry is fast and a little finer than the average Botan but it’s coarse enough to take steel off at a good rate; the haze on a razor’s bevel is very matte and consistent.
If you have any questions about this piece of Botan, just shoot me an email here!
Approx. Dimensions: 3.5 x 2.5 x 1.06” / 89 x 65 x 27 mm
Weight: 4.8 oz / 135 g
KJB-5

Asano Botan Koppa

Sat, 22 Mar 2014 20:06:39 -0400

Fully Stamped and Sealed Botan Koppa
This is prime Botan real estate. It doesn’t get better than this. Clean and consistent - good speed and great feedback. The size might seem small on paper but for hand-holding or bench work this is more than enough stone for setting and refining bevels.
Large Botan stones are becoming scarce, this one is quite thick and will last several lifetimes for anyone honing razors.
It can be used to make slurry on a finishing stone too - the shape is such that it fits nicely into my hand and it’s easy to control pressure.
If you have questions or comments about this Koppa - shoot me an email here!
Approx. Dimensions: 5.0 x 3.5 x 1.25 / 127 x 89 x 32mm
Weight: 19 oz / 540 g

Botan Koppa

Sat, 15 Mar 2014 16:21:33 -0400

Asano Stamped Botan

Sun, 23 Feb 2014 11:05:27 -0500

Mikawa Shiro Botan Nagura with Asano Stamps
This rather large Botan is somewhat of a rarity – it’s rather long and heavy; both of which make it extremely easy to handle. It’s also large enough to hone a razor on, although it’s not quite large enough for me to say it’s bench-stone size.
The coloring is very nearly pure white, with only a few light orange splotches visible in a few places. It’s been sealed on the sides and bottom – the top is lapped flat.
Because the Mikawa Nagura bench-size stones are becoming more and more rare with each passing day, this piece has become quite special. I find these stones to be exceptional for setting bevels or truing up an existing bevel that has rounded slightly. This stone is very consistent across the top, so honing on it is a breeze.
It’s also quite nice to use when resurfacing the top of the Awase, or to make slurry in a typical Nagura progression.
Approx. Dimensions: 5.9 x 1.5 x 1.25” / 150 x 38 x 32 mm
(measured in middle of stone)
Weight: 9.4 oz / 265 g
Click here If you have any questions or comments about this Nagura.