Japanese knives are always something exceptional. One Japanese knife is a lifetime achievement. If you are a knife enthusiast, you know very well that a quality Japanese knife, if it is taken care of properly, serves for a long time. But how do you fulfill this care? As Japanese knives are super sharp, to sustain their sharpness, they require regular sharpening. For this, you need to have the best knife sharpener for Japanese knives.
Other ones might not get well along with your expensive knife and eventually might lead to ruin. Also, you cannot treat a Japanese knife lightly. You need to provide proper sharpening ways to the knife to get a proper service. That’s why as a conscious knife enthusiast you should learn about some knife sharpeners that do real good to your Japanese knife. And to enlighten you we have prepared our segments with the best knife sharpeners. So, let’s check them out.
List of 7 best Knife sharpeners Especially for Japanese knives:
Japanese Knife Sharpener Review in Details
A sharpener comes with a great duty upon its shoulder. To protect knives from being blunt is its sole purpose. Besides, restraining from scratches and scales is another duty of a knife sharpener. As there are many types of knife sharpeners available in the market, not all of them are suitable for Japanese knives. However, as we have prepared a list of the best knife sharpeners for Japanese knives, you will be benefited for sure.
1. Shun DM0610 Classic 3-Piece Whetstone Sharpening System 
Shun DM0610 Classic 3-Piece Whetstone Sharpening System has the great feature of being in the frontlist of the best knife sharpener for Japanese knives. This knife sharpener comes from Shun brand and this brand has always been taking a soft corner in our hearts.
The alloy steel made 9 inches long sharpening rod comes in proper shape. It helps the knife find the proper angle, so you can get the edge of the knife well sharpened. Also, with the two surfaces, you can take great care of your Japanese one.
With the soft side, sharp your knife every day and with the coarse or micro-ribbed side, sharp your knife on a weekly basis. Besides, the wooden handle provides ultimate comfort to the user. It comes with a bamboo stand and therefore storing the sharpener becomes easier. However, the 3-piece sharpening system maximizes its performance.
Pros
- Comes in great shape with 3 versatile sharpeners
- The advantage of using a high-quality knife sharpener
- Guarantees a sharp knife with a longtime effect
- The easily stored system spares you from saving the sharpener
- Whetstone comes with angle indication for your advantage
Cons
- Comes with a great price range
Bottom Line
We found this knife sharpener as the best one in today’s collection because it offers a full set for sharpening your Japanese knives properly. You can use both the sharpening rod and whetstone as per your advantage and skill.
2. King KDS Combination Grit Whetstone 
King KDS Combination Grit Whetstone is our next best pick for its promising performance and features. It is specially made in Japan so they know what treatment a Japanese knife requires. With two types of grit, you will get an immense way of sharpening your knife.
The 6000 and 1000 grits are fine to make the edge of your knife sharp enough. This fine grit type offers many knives to be sharpened with only one whetstone. Besides, this stone sharpener is so large in size that you can do your job as quickly as possible.
Besides, the size makes it easier to use the stone comfortably. However, you need to use the grits wisely. When you need a coarse type of sharpening, go to the 1000 grits side. And when you need to give a smooth finishing to the edge, then choose the 6000 grits side for your knife.
Pros
- Mitigates and alleviates the scratches on your knife
- Brings back the proper shape and sharpness of your knife
- Makes the knife rust-proof and sustains this characteristic for a long time
- Large stone makes your job as faster as possible
- Just soak into water and that’s all it asks for
Cons
- It does not come with a base
Bottom Line
For harder steel, there is no better option than a great-looking stone from the King brand. Besides, its structure and angle construction is all suitable for any hard knives in Japan.
3. Yoshihiro Professional Grade Toishi Japanese Whetstone Knife Sharpener
Yoshihiro Professional Grade Toishi Japanese Whetstone Knife Sharpener comes with this whole package to provide service to almost all types of Japanese knives. It is a recommended tool for the Sushi chef mostly because of its outstanding sharpening ability.
This set of sharpeners offers a seamless edge to the knives that are used to carve. They carry both fine and coarse sides so you can sharpen and smoothen your knife at the same time. Each whetstone comes with 2.9 inches wide surface. This surface offers maximum coverage of the edge of your knife.
Thus you can do your job as quickly as possible. Besides, these whetstones are lengthy as well. These features allow you to have an accurately sharpened knife. Along with 1000, 3000, and 6000 grits, you are getting a Nagura conditioning stone and fixer of stone.
Pros
- The advantage of getting a set for a long time of usage
- Varieties of the set add more charms to it
- Best set for professional Sushi makers and other restaurants
- Comes with a stone fixer to assure more reliability
- Promising at providing the right-angled sharpness to your knives
Cons
- Needs good care and maintenance
Bottom Line
We recommend this set to the busy professionals as it comes with a full of whetstone and its necessaries. But if you are an amateur but have some real passion then this is also your go-to knife sharpening set.
4. SHAPTON Ha No Kuromaku Ceramic Whetstone
If you are asking for a delight knife sharpener then SHAPTON Ha No Kuromaku Ceramic Whetstone is your call. The specialty of this whetstone is it is made of ceramic. This material is famous for its strength and durability. Therefore, you are surely going to get a lifetime service from this whetstone.
It carries two types of grits – fine and medium. Both these types handle a blunt-edged knife with care and restore their old efficient feature. Not only for kitchen knives, but this whetstone is also a great deal for sushi knives, precision tools, and many others.
Shapton brand comes in different colored whetstone because it matters to some tasteful customers. The medium grit does the job as much as the coarse grit. On the other hand, 5000 and 8000 grits are used to make the edge of a knife smooth. You will love their stone holders as well because they are beautifully colorful.
Pros
- The pleasure of bringing a colorful knife sharpener
- No trouble of storing the sharpener elsewhere
- Different types of grits provide a full and satisfying service
- The stone holders are ventilated for the safety and durability of the sharpeners
Cons
- Have to meet a hefty budget range
Bottom Line
People have liked this sharpener because it is not only good at appearance but also hilarious in performance. The working surface of the whetstone is also convincing and reliable to a great extent.
5. DALSTRONG Premium Whetstones 
As Dalstrong has a strong impression worldwide, we couldn’t help including this DALSTRONG Premium Whetstone because of its versatility. It is a full premium set that assures your knife a total sharp edge with a long-term effect.
It offers two great whetstones in one set and they are made with top-grade and superior substance corundum which is also known as aluminum oxide. The length and width of the stones are sufficient to provide their peak performance to sharpen your knives.
They are also thick and suitable for maximum types of knives including German and Japanese. By conducting these stones, you can make your knives regain their strength in blades. To protect the stones and to ensure safety for the users, the brand also offers a silicone holder and wood base.
Pros
- The pleasure of using an impressive branded sharpener
- Provides 6000 and 1000 grits for coarse and fine sharpening process
- The advantage of a sharpener is that provides its peak performance
- Provides a screamingly sharp edge no matter how blunt and damaged your knife has become
- Offers benefits to home cooks, culinary students, pitmasters, and more
Cons
- Comes in a great price range
Bottom Line
We love Japanese knife brands and Dalstrong is so much of an efficient brand that you will never regret trying one of their items. Their sharpeners also come with safety and a full package ensures you a durable journey.
6. MITSUMOTO SAKARI Japanese Knife Sharpening Stone 
This MITSUMOTO SAKARI Japanese Knife Sharpening Stone comes with a premium feature and superior texture. The white corundum-based construction maximizes the performance of the stones. It comes with coarse and fine grits with enough capacity.
You don’t need to apply any expensive oil to the double-sided stone. Water will o just fine. The stone comes with a holder made of bamboo. It has a TPR rubber-based border to avoid unnecessary accidents. You can do the polishing and grinding things on its 3000 fine grit side.
Besides, you don’t have to worry about the right angle because the stone will make the way of sharpening your angle by 15-20degree. This professional-looking sharpener is a mainstay of every professional kitchen. The stone can sharpen from chef’s knife to scissors, steak knives, hunting knives, and many more.
Pros
- Get the full advantage of a superior whetstone
- Comes with all the preparations for safety
- It comes in a beautiful package
- A double-sided surface offers maximum benefits
- Can sharpen almost all types of knives
Cons
- Requires some good maintenance
Bottom Line
This whetstone comes with 1000 and 3000 grits and is capable of sharpening various types of knives with full safety. It would not be a loss if you try it out at least once in your busy kitchen.
7. Kota Japan 1000-grit Coarse Side and 6000-grit Polishing Side Knife Sharpening Whetstone 
This Kota Japan 1000-grit Coarse Side and 6000-grit Polishing Side Knife Sharpening Whetstone is our last yet best pick. The stone has got double-sided surface with a coarse side and a fine side. With the 1000 grits, give the best sharpening journey to your knife.
And with the 6000 grits provide the finest razor-sharp edge to your knife. For safety, the stone comes with a bamboo holder. Besides, it comes with an instruction-based e-book for your convenience to give an angled sharpness to your knife.
The stone is recommended to use with a diamond plate. It enhances the performance of the stone and reduces the chance of occurring accidents. The whole set of this sharpener is a perfect one to gift someone near and dear.
Pros
- Works efficiently to reshape the edge of your knife
- The holder comes in a hard condition for better service
- The double-sided stone maximizes its workability
- Provides warranty to earn the trust of the customers
- No expensive oil is required to conduct it
Cons
- The holder doesn’t have a rubber base
Bottom Line
This sharpener is exclusively made so you can treat your damaged knife with care and lengthen its lifespan. Besides, if you take proper care of the sharpener, your knife will always give you the best service.
FAQ’s on Knife Sharpener for Japanese Knives
1. Do Japanese knives require special sharpeners?
Japanese knives are made with great precision and following them as a model, you will see many other knives too from different countries. But it’s not always necessary that a Japanese knife asks for a special or particular knife sharpener. You can simply use a well-branded sharpener to sharpen your Japanese knife. Also, take note of the angles as well before choosing any knife sharpener for a Japanese knife.
2. Is a knife sharpener only one type?
There are different types of knife sharpeners in the market. You will find whetstones, honing rods, and many other heavy-constructed knife sharpeners, if you just take a deep look on different websites or knife-based markets.
3. Does grit type matter in a whetstone?
Of course, it does. In fact, you need to learn about the grit types before you buy a whetstone. It’s because different types of grits provide different sharpening systems to your knife. The coarse one sharpens the edge, the fine one helps in grinding and polishing. So, what type of grit your whetstone carries is a matter you need to take care of.
Final Words
To provide a good life to your Japanese knife, you need to sharpen it whenever requires. The best knife sharpener for Japanese knives will offer an extra hand to the treatment. Therefore, buying one of those best knife sharpeners will be a great investment.
Once you bring one knife sharpener, your Japanese knife will regain its shape and elegance. This profit is definitely worth one.