Why Japanese Knives Need Specialist Sharpening

Japanese knives are made from harder steel (typically HRC 60–67) and are ground at a much more acute angle — 10°–15° per side — which is what gives them their exceptional sharpness. That same hardness makes the edge more brittle: it chips rather than rolls under hard use or improper sharpening.

Using the wrong angle or a pull-through sharpener on a Japanese knife can chip the edge or permanently alter the geometry. These knives need to be sharpened at the correct angle with the right grit progression — and that is exactly what we do.