A good introduction to river stones.

A Toyama (Mountain) stone, although to my eye it is more suggestive of a rocky outcrop than a towering mountain, which I’m sure will feel like a familiar landscape feature to any walkers or climbers. The surface is complex and smoothed off from countless knocks in the river rapids which is very typical of the source.

Kamuikotan stone comes in many colours, black being most usual. This stone goes from black to brown and amber, which is quite unusual, and looks more like the classification Antique Kamuikotan.

The daiza is a simple one, made from a basic wood and stained. The darker colour is suitable, but the stones overall impression could be improved with a high quality daiza.

SKU: 24937

Size: 150 x 85 x 65mm (6 x 3¼ x 2⅝ in)

Condition: Excellent, bottom cut, signs of surface treatment, no damage.

Source: Kamuikotan – the source is the Kamui Kotan valley on the Ishikari River in Hokkaido. Considered the King of river stones, it’s a mixture of metamorphic rock and serpentine, and are rolled around in the depths and rapids to become Suiseki. It comes in many colours and classifications. There are numerous sub-types, too many to define here. A good reference can be found at: https://suiseki.jpn.org/kamogawaishi1.php

It was typical in Hokkaido to paint the stones with oil or wax to improve the lustre or deepen the tone, so one should consider this when appraising a stone. It doesn’t mean the stone is bad, because so many stones are modified in some way, but it should be held in consideration.