Answer
Apr 11, 2024 - 10:03 AM
On a Traditional Japanese knife like the yanagi, the sharpening angle is already formed. Meaning that you would lay the blade flat on the stone and sharpen from the shinogi line down to the edge. This will create a fine burr on the back side of the knife which is removed by laying the back flat on a fine polishing stone. Because the angles are already built in, it is very easy to maintain these knives, but there are a couple of technical aspects to understand. Most importantly, the back side of the blade has a concave grind so that the only parts that will touch the stone are the spine and cutting edge. Please use only a fine stone on the backside and sharpen just enough to remove the burr and stop. Notice the small amount of shiny area which is called the uraoshi (or ura). It is only a very small amount ranging from 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch. This is a flattened area and we don't want that to grow more than 1/8 of an inch. Meaning that it is possible to completely flatten the back side if you use a coarse or medium stone. The back side should also be sharpened perpendicular to the length of the stone at a 90 degree angle, one section at a time. This is because the blade thins from the handle to the tip. Also very light pressure at the tip. This video may assist you, starting at around the 8 minute mark. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8Ddb...
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