honmikage 本御影

Lit. true mikage 御影. A type of high quality granite, kakōgan 花崗岩 quarried in the Mikage region of the city of Kōbe 神戸, Hyōgo Prefecture. This stone was originally called *mikage-ishi 御影石, but after that term became a synonym for granite, the prefix "hon" was added to refer to granite actually from the Mikage area. Honmikage is distinguished by its content of pale red feldspar.