King G-1 whetstone

I’ve been experimenting with various sharpening stones lately, and I’ve ended up accumulating quite a collection! Soon, I can imagine the finance department saying, “Isn’t that enough already?!” So, I decided to go back to basics and try out the King sharpening stone.

I used both the “S-1” and “G-1” stones, but surprisingly, the “G-1” worked really well (^^)ｂ. I sharpened a knife with Gin-san steel, and I could feel it slicing like butter after using this stone alone. It’s labeled as #8000, but it felt more like #6000 to me.

When sharpening, it’s easy to get lost in the depths and want to go finer, but there seems to be a practical limit to the grit size you need. It feels like there’s a certain edge that appeals to most people.

I have this little story from when I visited the Toretore Market in Shirahama. I was amazed at how effortlessly they sliced through those huge tunas in one go! I can imagine that taking it easy wouldn’t work in the midst of such a busy crowd. I also thought about the sharpening technique they must use to match that pace.

As I was wandering around, I stumbled upon someone using Suisin’s INOX Western Deba knife. It was like, “What a surprise to find it here!” Made me happy (^^).

Hibishugyo

2007-04-03