Japanese whetstones

For sharpening Japanese knives, nothing better than a whetstone!

Japanese kitchen knives are special, and thus, they require special care. Often characterised for having rigid and solid blades, Japanese knives usually remain sharp for long time, so they do not need to be sharpened as frequent as Western knives. However, when the time comes to sharpen a Japanese knife, it is important to do so in a way in which the blade's edge doesn't result damaged. To do so, our recommendation and the recommendation of most professional cooks is to use a Japanese whetstone such as the ones that you find in this page.

How to choose the right Japanese whetstone?

Whether you have a Japanese or a Western type of kitchen knife, it is important to know the type of blade and the type of steel of your knife. At MyChefKnives, this information is usually precised in the knife's description. Why is that important? Because whetstones come in different grains, and the level of grain that you need to choose depends on the hardness of the blade. If the blade has a medium hardness between around 57-60 HRC, a stone with grains 1000 would work fine for you. However, if the blade of your knife is ultra rigid and it reaches a hardness level around 61-63 HRC, then you should only use whestones with grains superior to 2000. 

Another factors that you might need to take into consideration before buying a Japanese sharpening stone are the accessories and the brand of the stone. Starting with the accessories, some of the whetstones available on our site are sold with a plastic stand included, which you can use to place your stone on it and keep it still during usage. Some other whetstones even come with sharpening angle guides that help you maintain a stable angle whilst sharpening the knife. At last, if the brand also plays an important role in the your decision process, we are proud to tell you that here you'll find whetstones from some of the most renowned Japanese brands of the market such as Kasumi, KAI, and Tojiro!