Stone dumplings

…In the Shennong Bencao, China's oldest pharmaceutical book, in addition to iron (Japanese name: aragane), iron smelt (kanakuso, or kanenosabi), and iron scraps (kurogane no hada), the names of medicines such as magnet (also called suction needle stone), Yu Yuliang, and Tai Yi Yuliang appear, and later various names such as hard iron (fukerukane), raw iron (iron before casting), soft iron, and iron flower powder (iron jacket) were added. Among these, Yu Yuliang and Tai Yi Yuliang are found in the Shosoin Imperial Treasures, and are mud iron ore, which in Japan is called komochi stone, ishidango, or suzushi. Iron smelt is like dust that spills in a furnace for forging iron, and light purple ones were considered to be of high quality. …

*Some of the terminology that refers to "stone dumplings" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…中国最古の薬学書《神農本草》には鉄(和名あらがね)，鉄精(かなくそ，かねのさび)，鉄落(くろがねのはだ)のほか，磁石(一名吸針石)，禹余糧，太一余糧などの薬名が見え，のちに剛鉄(ふけるかね)，生鉄(鋳る前の鉄)，柔鉄，鉄華粉(鉄上衣)など，さまざまな名称が加わる。このなかの禹余糧と太一余糧は正倉院御物の中にあり，日本では子持石，〈いしだんご〉〈すずいし〉などと呼ばれる泥鉄鉱である。鉄精は鉄を鍛えるかまどの中にこぼれた塵のようなもので，紫色の軽いものが上質とされていた。…

※「いしだんご」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報