Minonokuni 220 Grit Waterstone

A 220 grit stone is for repair rather than routine sharpening. It is the stone to reach for when a knife has a chipped edge, a broken tip, a dip worn into the edge (a reverse curve) or a bevel that needs to be reset, jobs that would take far too long on a medium stone.

Because it is aggressive, it removes steel quickly. Work with light, even pressure and check the edge by eye at short intervals, then move to a finer stone as soon as the damage is gone. Every scratch the 220 leaves has to be removed by the next stone, so stopping early saves time overall.

Building a Set

A coarse stone is the first of three steps in a Japanese sharpening setup. After the 220, the Minonokuni 1000 grit waterstone restores a working edge, and the Minonokuni 4000 grit waterstone refines and polishes it. A cook whose knives are in good condition can start with the 1000 and add the 220 only when an edge needs repair.

This stone needs a fair amount of water, so give it a full soak before use and keep the surface wet as you work. For single-bevel knives such as the Take 240mm yanagiba, use the 220 on the beveled face only, never on the flat back.