Over at /r/ArtisanVideos, a video was posted about a Japanese knife sharpener who said that the art of knife making and knife sharpening as it was in the old days are both disappearing.

My impression before I watched the video was that many professional chefs sharpen their own knives with a whetstone purchased at restaurant supply stores or special suppliers, but now I'm not sure; hence the question of whether you have them sent out to get sharpened or not.

For those of you that do sharpen your own knives, is your process similar to that of the Japanese craftsman of the video, or is it different? If different, in what way is it different?

Edit: thanks everyone for your insightful responses! It's reassuring to know that the art of knife sharpening isn't really dying out.