Knife Sharpening
The short answer. Sharpen Japanese knives on a whetstone: a 1000 grit stone to set the edge, then a 3000–6000 grit stone to refine it, holding about 12–15° per side. Hone or strop between sharpenings, and avoid pull-through sharpeners, which are made for softer steel and a thicker 20° edge.
Sharpening guides
- How to sharpen a knife with a whetstoneThe full method, step by step: angle, burr, grit progression and stropping.
- How to sharpen Japanese knivesDouble-bevel and single-bevel knives, hard steel and how to avoid chips.
Tools
- Sharpening angle toolPick your knife and angle; see how high to lift the spine, in millimetres and coins.
- Whetstone grit chooserTell it how dull the knife is and how many stones you want; get the grit order.
Sharpening, honing and stropping
Sharpening removes steel to form a new edge, on a stone. Honing straightens an edge that has rolled over, on a rod, without removing much steel. Stropping polishes off the last tiny burr on leather or newspaper. A home cook sharpens every one to three months, and strops or hones in between.