Short answerSoak the stone for about 5 minutes, hold the blade at 10 to 15 degrees, push with pressure and ease off on the pull until you feel a burr on the other side, then repeat on the back. A #1000 stone is all most home cooks need.
Put the stone in water until bubbles stop rising. Tojiro's instructions put this at about 5 minutes. Keep the surface wet while you work, adding a splash of water whenever it starts to look dry.
Hold the knife with the edge facing you, at about 45 degrees to the length of the stone. Then tilt the spine up so the blade sits at 10 to 15 degrees to the stone surface. Tojiro describes this as a gap of roughly 7 to 10 mm (about a third of an inch) between the spine and the stone.
Stroke back and forth. Tojiro's tip: press when you push the knife away, and ease off slightly as you pull it back, so the edge does not get rounded. Work along the whole edge, from the heel to the tip.
Keep going until a burr forms: a thin, rough lip of metal you can feel on the opposite side of the edge when you slide a fingertip off the blade (never along it). The burr means you have sharpened all the way to the edge.
Turn the knife over and sharpen the back side the same way, holding it as a mirror image of the front. Then remove the burr with a few light alternating strokes on each side. A sharpening handout from Kameoka City, home of the Tamba Aoto natural stone, ends the same way: light strokes on both sides to take off the burr.
Global's instructions for its CERAX stones: do not leave the stone sitting in water after use; clean the surface and wipe it dry. Stones wear hollow over time, so flatten yours now and then by rubbing it back and forth against a flattening stone with water.
Tojiro suggests sharpening about once or twice a month to keep a good edge.
| Model | Grit | Size | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tojiro F-433Check price on Amazon | #1000/#3000 | 230 x 65 x 30 mm (9.1 x 2.6 x 1.2 in) | 22.8 oz |
| Tojiro F-431Check price on Amazon | #1000 | 230 x 65 x 30 mm (9.1 x 2.6 x 1.2 in) | 15.3 oz |
| Global CERAX 1010Check price on Amazon | #1000 | 205 x 73 x 23 mm (8.1 x 2.9 x 0.9 in) | — |
Scroll the table sideways. Figures are from official maker specs (check dates are on each product page).
A two-sided home stone: #1000 to sharpen, #3000 to refine the edge. One stone covers the whole routine for a home cook.
Good forYou want one stone that sharpens and finishes. You sharpen a gyuto, santoku or petty at home.
Watch outYour knife is chipped (start with a coarser stone).
A single #1000 medium stone in Tojiro's slim home size. Tojiro says one medium stone handles most everyday re-sharpening.
Good forYou want the simplest, lightest way to start. You only need routine sharpening.
Watch outYou want a polished, refined edge (add a finer stone later).
Global's #1000 medium stone, made by Suehiro, with a rubber base so it stays put on the counter.
Good forYou own Global knives and want the maker's own stone. You want a stone with a built-in non-slip base.
Watch outYou want two grits in one stone.
How we researched this We compiled the specs from official maker pages and Japanese-language manuals and spec sheets (checked 2026-10-25). We have not bought or tested every product ourselves. Makers update their listings, so please confirm on the official page before you buy.