Takeshi Watanabe, a third-generation knife sharpener in Kyoto, doesn't believe in specialized equipment. The whetstone matters far less than angle and feel. For Western knives—which have thicker spines and flatter profiles than Japanese blades—sharpeners typically use two stones: a coarse 1000-grit for dull blades and a fine 6000-grit for finishing. Watanabe argues you only need one. The One-Stone Method Using a 4000-grit stone, Watanabe maintains a 17-degree angle (slightly steeper than the traditional 15 degrees for Japanese steel). He pulls the knife across the stone with a gentle forward motion, then flips it and repeats on the other side—exactly three passes per side. The entire process takes four minutes. We tested it on a 10-year-old German chef's knife and achieved a fold-test edge (the blade cut through newsprint cleanly). "Western cooks complicate sharpening," Watanabe says through a translator. "You need confidence, not equipment." "If you don't feel the friction change under your hand, you're not listening to the knife." He emphasizes that sharpening is a tactile skill—the sound and resistance of stone on steel teach you more than any angle guide. Watanabe ships 4000-grit stones to the US for $35 each; they last for years with proper care.