Today’s Honbazuke
Today, I worked on Honbazuke sharpening for a Shiro Ichiko Mizu Honyaki, but I didn’t finish it. Since it’s a Kengata Yanagi, its shape makes it quite easy to sharpen! Although Shiro Ichiko steel tends to be brittle, this knife has a smooth and moist feel to it. It’s like it absorbs the pressure with a “hmm” feeling!
People often think that a smooth and moist knife doesn’t cut as sharply (amakiri), but this one is different.
Every time, I think, “I should take photos of the sharpening process!” but once I start sharpening, I always forget and end up sharpening quite a bit before I remember. I need to stay completely focused, or I lose my concentration. This time, I did a complex Honbazuke.
The knife has a slightly wider cutting edge than a Yanagiba, so the balance from base to tip is a bit different from usual. Aiming to make it versatile for chopping, peeling, cutting, and slicing, I included a Hamaguri edge.
I wanted to sharpen the edge even thinner, so I pressed down hard and ended up slicing a super thin layer of skin from my finger. I had to stop sharpening midway. Even without finishing the final stage (the edge alignment), it’s already this sharp! It’s been a while since a blade gave me chills. I’ll pick it up again on Monday, and I plan to tackle it with renewed focus.
- 2009-06-19
