Wiley Horne
>Norman,

Denis is correct. And so are you--one does minimally lap the back. When you sharpen your Japanese chisel, just work the back each time in the usual manner of sharpening, on the middle and final stone. Probably, just the final stone is enough. Just this little bit of metal removal is sufficient to keep the hollow receding away from the edge.

Bottom line: you tap out plane blades, but you don't tap out chisels, except in unusual situations where there is a big chip that has to be ground all the way back into the hollow.

Wiley