Description A medium-grit (nakato) natural whetstone sourced from the Amakusa region of Kumamoto Prefecture, produced under the Sakai Takayuki brand — one of Japan’s most respected names in professional cutlery and sharpening tools, rooted in the historic blade-making city of Sakai, Osaka. Amakusa stone (Amakusa-to) is a well-established Japanese natural whetstone prized for its consistent grit, moderate hardness, and excellent cutting action. As a medium-grit stone, it is ideally suited for the core sharpening stage — removing edge damage, reshaping bevels, and establishing a clean edge before finishing on a fine stone. It works efficiently on a wide range of Japanese and Western kitchen knives, as well as woodworking tools such as chisels and plane blades. Natural whetstones of this type are favoured by professional chefs, bladesmiths, and woodworkers for the quality of edge they produce, and Amakusa in particular is widely recommended as an accessible, reliable mid-stage stone for both beginners and experienced sharpeners. Condition note: Please refer to the photos for full condition details, including size and surface condition. Keywords Amakusa, natural whetstone, nakato, medium grit, Japanese whetstone, sharpening stone, Sakai Takayuki, Sakai, Japanese knife, honing, woodworking, chisel, plane blade, Japan, professional, 砥石, 天草 The knife in the image is for illustrative purposes only; it has been sharpened. The product does not include a knife; only the whetstone is included.