The Ingenuity of the Househusband (極工夫道)

I'm making a bento.

It's dull.

The Ingenuity of the Househusband.

The Way to Being a Househusband.

SHARPEN

THE WAY OF THE HOUSEHUSBAND

To achieve the ideal conditions for cutting cabbage,

we'll use these three stones.

A medium stone.

A finishing stone.

A stone fixer.

First…

polish the stone.

If you use a whetstone that isn't completely flat,

the blade will end up being dull.

So use a stone fixer on the whetstone every five uses.

Next, make the shape.

KNIFE SHAPING

BRING OUT BURRS TO MAKE A BASE

Use the medium stone to bring out burrs.

Hold the knife against the whetstone at a 45-degree angle.

Matching the knife,

look for an angle where the knife slides well.

Place your left hand on top and move it back and forth.

This action reduces the knife's thickness.

The black residue is proof that the area is sharpening.

The metal starts sticking up at the other end.

Keep polishing until those burrs appear.

It's no good.

I said to make it flat earlier.

Time for the stone fixer.

Next, we'll use the finishing stone.

It's the same action. Sharpen until the knife shines.

If the end of the blade shines,

it means that it was sharpened properly.

We've now sharpened the cutting edge and made a base.

Now it's time for hazuke, sharpening the microbevels.

To prevent the angle from changing, we use minimal force on the edge

and push it away slowly without moving it back and forth.

If you use too much force,

both the whetstone and the blade will become dull.

Focus on precision.

The burrs have properly formed.

It has a nice edge now.

The more you sharpen it, the better it cuts.