It's a Nubatama Bamboo series 150 grit synthetic waterstone!
So what does that mean? And where and when can you get it? And even more importantly, how well does it work?
The logo on the saya and the logo on the stone is the Nubatama logo. It is the brand name. Much like Shapton, Naniwa, King, etc.
The other logo - the pentagon with the Kanji in it - is the 'bamboo' series of stones, much like the Shapton Pro or Chocera series of stones. There will also be a second series of stones - the 'Plum' series.
So while this stone is quite interesting in it's own right, it is but one stone of two series of stones that I am importing from Japan.
As I am typing this, an initial order from Japan is heading to Mark - at ChefKnivesToGo, who will be carrying the full (and extensive) line of these stones. Two of the stones in this order were not ready for shipment (both 150 Bamboos), so they were sent to me via EMS and I received them more quickly - the first Nubatama arrivals. A second shipment of stones - one each - was also sent to Tom of Jende Industries, and since he is much closer, I expect that he will have them any day now. The suspense is killing me.
When Mark's order arrives, they will be made available for sale.
I also intend for these stones to be made available for use on the Edge Pro and in time for the WEPS as well.
I'll have more to say in the future about the design of these stones, the goals of these two series, etc.
OK so how well does it work? Well I'll put up my first review of this stone in a separate post, the first Nubatama Bamboo 150 stone. Hint: incredible!
The Japanese for Bamboo is 'take'. Not like take in English, but Ta plus ke.
The Japanese for plume is 'ume', pronounced OO me, with the 'e' soft like the e in home, not hard like me. Take also has a soft 'e'.
So you can call these stones bamboo or take
or plum or ume.
Use Google translate to hear what the words sound like if you wish. Click on the speaker icon to hear the words.
How to say 'bamboo' in Japanese
How to say 'plum' in Japanese
Stone review next!