The art of whetting
In Japan it remains as a real art and philosophy. For centuries every day the chefs have been restoring their knives' edge through ritual and repetitive gestures.
The sharpening stones have become an indispensable working instrument.
The sharpening stones have been used by the Japanese since several centuries (since the age of the katane construction), but this does not just represent a philosophy and a culture to them.
A sharp knife is a major instrument to the Japanese cook's art. It is very rarely requested the use of the European flints to whet the edge, because a Japanese-made knife is very difficult to sharpen with a flint.
The construction of the Japanese blades has a "V"-shaped inclination angle, whereas the European knives have a "U"- shaped one, so that the use of the flints to restore the edge guarantees an excellent result with the right angle or the use of the right guides.
The blades of the Japanese knives are made with special steel: titanium, damask, a high carbon content; plus, every kind of steel has a different hardness.
The different grains of these stones made in Japan will allow you to obtain different sharpening results according to your own needs.
240 - 400 grain: excellent to roughing out and to lining up and ranging the whetting
800 grain: to optimise the edge
1000 grain: to revive and restore the edge
4000 - 6000 grain: guarantees a polished, gleaming edge