The Best Knife Sharpening Stone for Japanese Chef Knives: KING Whetstone Knife Sharpener

The Benefits of Sharpening Knives with a Sharpening Stone

Do you sharpen your knives or just buy new ones everytime old ones get dull?  Dull knives are stressful to cut with and can be dangerous.  I buy good knives and sharpen them because I hate to keep buying new cheap knives and throw “looking okay but dull” knives away.  I use Japanese chef knives.  Authentic hand-crafted knives are great. 

To sharpen those knives, I need to use a knife sharpening stone.  At first, I thought it would be troublesome, but once I got used to it, it wasn’t difficult at all.  The result is perfect!  If old cheap knives are staying in your drawer forever, I recommend you to get a good knife and a whetstone.  It will definitely save the space in your drawer, your time to find new cheap and satisfactory knives, and moreover, make you feel great, your dishes taste better and improve your cooking skills!

Whetstone is Popular in Japan

There are useful and easy knife sharpeners in the world, but a lot of Japanese people, especially professional chefs use knife sharpening stones.  I used to use easy knife sharpeners.  They were literally easy, but I wasn’t always satisfied with its finish.  In addition, as I learned to cook better, I noticed there were knives which could never be sharpened with easy knife sharpeners, so I began to use a whetstone. 

The Importance of the Knife in Japanese Cooking

Recently, more and more health-conscious people prefer Japanese food and cook it at home.  Japanese food has delicate flavours to enjoy the tastes of fresh ingredients.  To make the most of the ingredients, the sharpness of the knife is very important in Japanese cooking.  If you want to make real Japanese sushi, fresh fish meat is so elastic that it cannot be handled with dull kitchen knives.  If you are to incorporate healthy Japanese food into your diet, you may need to get a Japanese knife. 

Traditional Japanese knives are very sharp and can last for over 50 years with maintenance.  You may think those knives are all expensive, but they are not.  There are varieties of price ranges.  You don’t need to pay a fortune.  As long as you choose one made in Japan and sharpen with a whetstone once in a while, it will work well.  Yes, you need a whetstone because sharp and thin traditional Japanese chef knives are mostly single-edged and cannot be sharpened with easy knife sharpeners including common stick sharpeners.

Unique Knife and Whetstone Culture in Japan

Japan, a home of Samurai has a unique knife and whetstone culture.  For Samurai, the sword was his soul.  The sword sharpener was not only a craftsman but also an artist who breathes life into the sword.  The sword sharpening is the work of the traditional “Japan Craft.” 

Then, the technique and quality of the sword sharpening is applied to knife sharpening today.    Grinding stones for sharpening were also considered important.  High-quality stones were treated as precious and presented to the emperor or the shogun.  Thus, Japan has a long history of good whetstones as well.

Good Whetstone Does the Job!

Then, the question is which whetstone to get.  Here is what I (and most other Japanese whetstone users at home would) recommend: 

KING Whetstone Knife Sharpener / Combination Grit / KW-65

Specifications:                  Double-sided whetstone with sturdy plastic base

Grit size:                            #1000(for medium grinding) #6000(for finishing)

Product Size:                     L185×W63×H25mm (7.3×2.5×1”)

Product Weight:                800g