Services

Japanese Knife Imports offers a knife sharpening service. For those of you in the Los Angeles area, you are more than welcome to stop by our shop and have your knives sharpened.  If you would prefer to have them sharpened without a wait, we recommend making an appointment, but an appointment is not necessary if you are ok with a bit of a wait (though there may be days when we can also sharpen on the spot).

For those of you who live a little further away, we may also be able to help you though a mail order service (please contact us if you are interested in taking advantage of this mail order option). Please do not send anything in to us without speaking with us first.  We have very specific directions for sending in knives.  We will also ask for photos of the front, back, and closeups of any damage. 

Japanese knives are sharpened entirely by hand using Japanese water stones. We tailor the edge to each customer, based on his/her needs and personal preferences. We utilize a mix of synthetic and natural stones, from 60 grit to over 20,000 grit, as necessary to achieve the edge our customers are looking for.

We can also sharpen western knives, though, depending on the knife, we may use a belt grinder sharpening setup.  Feel free to check with us about this ahead of time.  We can not sharpen serrated knives at this time, and our services are limited to kitchen knives.

Japanese Knife Imports specializes in sharpening services for Japanese kitchen knives. If you are interested in having other knives sharpened, please check with us first. We reserve the right to refuse any knife for sharpening. Please be aware that thinning and refinishing will effect the finish on the sides of the knives, and as such will change the visual appearance. We do our best to recreate the original finish look when possible (and if requested), but logos and markings may be more faint or disappear depending on the amount of thinning and refinishing required. Additionally, damascus finishes may appear different, as many craftsmen use different methods for this look and we do not have access to all of those methods (sand blaster, brush wheel, specific stone powders, specific kinds of etchant, etc.), though we will do our best to get as close as possible to the original look.

We offer rehandling services for Japanese kitchen knives. Our services are limited to Japanese style handles, as we are not set up to do western rehandles.

Knife rehandles are done in the traditional Japanese method. Jonathan has trained with a number of craftsmen in Japan preparing for this. He has rehandled with a variety of woods including ho wood, iichi, ebony. For the time being, we will only be offering ho, iichi, and burnt chestnut octagonal handles.

Later on, we will add other types of wood. The handles are imported from Japan and we perform strict quality checks on all of them. When we install the handles, we will seal the area where the handle meets the tang so as to protect the tang from water, rust, food, etc.

Please note that we do not sell handles separately from our rehandling service.

We teach knife sharpening classes in our store in Beverly Hills (8642 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211). All knife sharpening classes are held as 1-on-1 classes to allow me to most effectively utilize my time with the student.

In 1-on-1 classes, I can adjust each class to suit the skill level of each student. Classes can range from very basic to advanced sharpening techniques, and I am always more than happy to focus on specific areas if that is required.

We provide sharpening equipment and a knife to sharpen on for use during the class. However, often times, it is better if you are able to bring your own knives and stones to learn on. This way they will be more comfortable for you to use when you return home or to work.Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about our classes or if you would like to schedule a class - Hello@JapaneseKnifeImports.com

Our sharpening classes currently have a pre-requisite... we ask that all students watch the series of sharpening videos we have on youtube prior to signing up for the class.

Our classes are 3 hours long, which we have found to be long enough, in most cases, to get through everything we need to get through in our classes. However, we do sometimes run longer than planned, so, if possible, please allocate about 4 hours for the class.

Our Online Sharpening Seminars are aimed at providing a more interactive method of learning knife sharpening than our youtube videos offer.

Many of our customers are not close enough to our store to stop by for a sharpening class, so we decided to make this available online. The goal is that we can cover various topics and then allow for some Q&A with immediate and direct feedback.

In addition, participants can ask questions anywhere along the way as we demonstrate sharpening techniques. So now, when you see something that doesn't quite make sense or you wish someone could explain, you can ask in real-time and get an answer.

Our seminars consist of 3 parts:
1. A lecture covering the basic concepts of the subject at hand.
2. A demonstration of the technique(s)
3. A question and answer section where we can review some of the subjects we covered in more depth