Hasegawa Lone Wolf 6/8
Japanese Steel
- Thread starter silverlifter
- Start date
H.Diamond 8000 13/16 Full Hollow Ground
Grooming Dept Unscented Preshave
Henri et Victoria Cognac & Cuban Cigars Soap
Lucky Tiger Face Tonic
Henri et Victoria Cognac & Cuban Cigars Splash
Henri et Victoria Cognac & Cuban Cigars Balm
PCWoodcraft 24mm Silvertip Green Box Elder Burl Wood Handle
Grooming Dept Unscented Preshave
Henri et Victoria Cognac & Cuban Cigars Soap
Lucky Tiger Face Tonic
Henri et Victoria Cognac & Cuban Cigars Splash
Henri et Victoria Cognac & Cuban Cigars Balm
PCWoodcraft 24mm Silvertip Green Box Elder Burl Wood Handle
TAMAKŌ YSK(Yasuki) RAZOR 18.5mm ,Quarter Hollow,
玉鋼 = Tamahagane.
“Masa Steel Made Of Charcoal
Iron Refined From Iron Sand”
櫻木 = Maker:Sakuragi.
手打底溫鍛造=Low temperature hand forging.
Taiwan Stone+Mejiro Nagura .
Oumo 25mm Badger Knot.
Very comfortable shave.
- Thread starter
- #44
When I took this out of the coffin, I was unprepared for how dainty it is. That surprise turned to delight when I shaved with it. This smiling scalpel is ridiculously easy to shave with, and with a fresh JNat edge, tonight's shave was superb! 
Iwasaki
I took my time honing out a couple chips today. They’re gone and the 12k edge is insane sharp, a bit too sharp actually, I picked up some irritation around my chin.
I’m going to stick with this razor for the rest of Japan week and play with edges while I figure out the best way to shave with it.
I took my time honing out a couple chips today. They’re gone and the 12k edge is insane sharp, a bit too sharp actually, I picked up some irritation around my chin.
I’m going to stick with this razor for the rest of Japan week and play with edges while I figure out the best way to shave with it.
My western Iwasaki Tamahagane Kamisori. I have 3 and they're are my best shavers and very easy to sharpen as well. If I could afford another one, I would buy it without hesitation.
TOWA 4074 ,Shinyichi made
Will shave this evening. Slow relaxing hone this morning. Really enjoying this colorful new toy.
Kikuboshi 2002 "Jutsu"
Steve56
Ask me about shaving naked!
Hisha-Kaku (Rook-Nishop) 500 Yasuki steel. A Persian Jar 2 and Czech and Speake rounded out the shave.
Japanese? Kind of looks Japanese but is actually a Brian Brown razor with an unmistakeable Asian attitude.
I miss Brian; he really made a nice razor.
Hishakaku was also the main character in one of the great yakuza films in the genre, Theater of Life.
I have both of these guys as well as a few others from Watanabe, not for 20 years, but more like 10. Great knives - I’ve been using some vintage Washitas to keep them up to snuff.
So it is Thursday April 4th and just saw this thread. As it turns out 2 of my 4 shaves this week were with Japanese razors:
Tuesday: Hairop by Tanifuji 13/16 western straight
Today (Thursday): Iwasaki kamisori
Tuesday: Hairop by Tanifuji 13/16 western straight
Today (Thursday): Iwasaki kamisori
Steve56
Ask me about shaving naked!
Yep, that’s reportedly where the name of the razor came from.
Kikuboshi 45
.....Cram the thread with Japanese razors…Yes!
A short intro: I am Paul Jansen, 59 years old, and I live in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. I ‘ve been shaving with straight razors for 15 years now. Haven’t post here before, so my first post is also about my favorite razors. Hope you like the photos.
Tosuke Inoue 40mm
A small kamisori at 145 x 17mm, edge is 40mm (5.7” x 0.67” edge 1.6”).
This was my first Japanese razor, and then there followed more, haha!
Until now, I have honed this one with a taped spine (Kapton tape) on an Aiiwatani JNat. At a ratio of omote / ura of 5 to 1. Honing is a joy; the razor is nicely balanced, the edge is symmetrical, and progress is easily seen even with a 15x loupe. Clearly visible in the photo is the sinus-shaped lamination line between the jigane (soft) and hagane (hardened steel). My first shave with this first kamisori after many years of shaving with western straights was a bit of getting used to. After building some new muscle memory the next shaves went effortless. Oh, and bbs was re-defined!
Iwasaki 50mm, by Ryoichi Mizuochi
This is the ‘standard’ Swedish steel version which can still be bought new. This is the mid-size. I know there is also a small 40mm and a large 60mm version, but this 50mm edge (1.9”) is just fine. The size, weight, and handling is just so comfortable.
Although Mizuochi-san honed it to absolute killer sharpness, it had a bit too much bite for my taste. I then gave it only a few laps on a Nakayama and that did the trick: sharp and smooth. However, I kept the spiked toe and heel, it keeps me alert, haha! To enhance grip I wrapped the handle with paracord. Hand holding is now easy and swapping the blade between hands is safe.
Hayashi 1072 Tokyo Extra Best 6/8
After enjoying my kamisoris I wanted a western Japanese straight. Most blades by Hayashi Ichitaro are better known by their more familiar brand name H. Diamond. This 1072 is not per se a fancy model. There is no covered tang or nice scales or any of that, but it is forged of martensite steel, so it said on the box. It hones nicely and is a terrific shaver.
Tanifuji 102 Airi 6/8
With half translucent white scales, it’s a nice looking razor, although since taking these photos, the logo fell off the scales. Maybe it can be super-glued back on? I haven’t tried yet. I first ever honed it on a Ozuku and finished it on a Nakayama Maruka which gave it a sweet edge. Balance of the blade is great and it shaves absolutely excellently. Tanifuji’s steel (Swedish) feels great on the skin!
Tanifuji Tenstar Silversteel 6/8.
I managed to find this one N.O.S. on Ebay last year. It came in the original box. That reads ‘Tenstar’, with an ‘a’, whereas the tang spells Tenster with an ‘e’. The German (!) text on the box reads: 'Beste Qualität Silber Stahl' (Best quality silver steel). Where ‘Silberstahl’ in German needs to be one compounded word. I read somewhere that the spelling errors were made on purpose for the western buyers!? In the 60s or 70s? Maybe to confuse future razor collectors, haha! Still, it's seems weird.
It had the original (factory?) edge but this had a significant issue: in the edge profile there were two crests and a valley. Applying brute force on a DMT 325 I managed to get the edge back into a nice tight shape. Not by ‘breadkniving’ the edge but honing with the spine in the air. I picked that up in a video by Glen Mercurio. He used that technique when correting / honing a frown edge into a flat edge. The spine tingling sound of the edge of this vintage N.O.S. Tanifuji grinding away on the DMT was not very pleasant to hear! After the geometry correction on the DMT, and recovering from a near panick attack, I set a new bevel on the Naniwa1k, then I went to the Ozuku Asagi with a nagura progression, finishing on the Maruka Nakayama with thin tomo slurry. Luckily it all turned out fine. The Tenstar is such a great joy to shave with!
Iwasaki 50½, 6/8
The grind is half hollow (hence the ½). It’s my first western Iwasaki. Maybe not a concours winner, it does show some pitting, but it’s okay. I consider it patina. I am still curious whether the blade left Iwasaki’s shop some 50 or 60 years ago in its current 6/8 (or 19mm) size. I know that practically all NOS Iwasaki western razors are close to 13/16 (21 mm). That means there is 0.08” (2mm) of edge lost. But the spine shows no hone wear…
But that’s all just academic. The blade came with a properly honed edge. So I didn’t hone it yet. However, palm stropping the edge felt different from any blade before! I tried it as is and it shaved like a dream. The heft and balance of the half hollow blade is just great. Epic shaver!
Iwasaki 33, 13/16
Full hollow, 20.5mm. My second western Iwasaki. I bought it used. The razor shows its age in some superficial oxidation and minor pitting. It awaits a small restoration (by Max Sprecher) where it also will get new scales. The former user's Japanese name ‘Kosaka’ carved into the original scales is a piece of its history, but leaving it there doesn’t appeal to me. Besides, the scales and pins are a bit asymmetrical. I didn’t hone it yet. This full hollow 33 feels different from the 50½ Iwasaki in weight, size, and handling. Its current edge that it came with gave a super shave!
These Iwasaki razors are epic and I am very proud to own two of them. Sad, but understandable, auction prices for used western Iwasaki straight razors are going throug the roof, let alone for a near mint, NOS, or NOS tamahagane Iwasaki. But first you need to find one...
Kind regards, Paul
A short intro: I am Paul Jansen, 59 years old, and I live in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. I ‘ve been shaving with straight razors for 15 years now. Haven’t post here before, so my first post is also about my favorite razors. Hope you like the photos.
Tosuke Inoue 40mm
A small kamisori at 145 x 17mm, edge is 40mm (5.7” x 0.67” edge 1.6”).
This was my first Japanese razor, and then there followed more, haha!
Until now, I have honed this one with a taped spine (Kapton tape) on an Aiiwatani JNat. At a ratio of omote / ura of 5 to 1. Honing is a joy; the razor is nicely balanced, the edge is symmetrical, and progress is easily seen even with a 15x loupe. Clearly visible in the photo is the sinus-shaped lamination line between the jigane (soft) and hagane (hardened steel). My first shave with this first kamisori after many years of shaving with western straights was a bit of getting used to. After building some new muscle memory the next shaves went effortless. Oh, and bbs was re-defined!
Iwasaki 50mm, by Ryoichi Mizuochi
This is the ‘standard’ Swedish steel version which can still be bought new. This is the mid-size. I know there is also a small 40mm and a large 60mm version, but this 50mm edge (1.9”) is just fine. The size, weight, and handling is just so comfortable.
Although Mizuochi-san honed it to absolute killer sharpness, it had a bit too much bite for my taste. I then gave it only a few laps on a Nakayama and that did the trick: sharp and smooth. However, I kept the spiked toe and heel, it keeps me alert, haha! To enhance grip I wrapped the handle with paracord. Hand holding is now easy and swapping the blade between hands is safe.
Hayashi 1072 Tokyo Extra Best 6/8
After enjoying my kamisoris I wanted a western Japanese straight. Most blades by Hayashi Ichitaro are better known by their more familiar brand name H. Diamond. This 1072 is not per se a fancy model. There is no covered tang or nice scales or any of that, but it is forged of martensite steel, so it said on the box. It hones nicely and is a terrific shaver.
Tanifuji 102 Airi 6/8
With half translucent white scales, it’s a nice looking razor, although since taking these photos, the logo fell off the scales. Maybe it can be super-glued back on? I haven’t tried yet. I first ever honed it on a Ozuku and finished it on a Nakayama Maruka which gave it a sweet edge. Balance of the blade is great and it shaves absolutely excellently. Tanifuji’s steel (Swedish) feels great on the skin!
Tanifuji Tenstar Silversteel 6/8.
I managed to find this one N.O.S. on Ebay last year. It came in the original box. That reads ‘Tenstar’, with an ‘a’, whereas the tang spells Tenster with an ‘e’. The German (!) text on the box reads: 'Beste Qualität Silber Stahl' (Best quality silver steel). Where ‘Silberstahl’ in German needs to be one compounded word. I read somewhere that the spelling errors were made on purpose for the western buyers!? In the 60s or 70s? Maybe to confuse future razor collectors, haha! Still, it's seems weird.
It had the original (factory?) edge but this had a significant issue: in the edge profile there were two crests and a valley. Applying brute force on a DMT 325 I managed to get the edge back into a nice tight shape. Not by ‘breadkniving’ the edge but honing with the spine in the air. I picked that up in a video by Glen Mercurio. He used that technique when correting / honing a frown edge into a flat edge. The spine tingling sound of the edge of this vintage N.O.S. Tanifuji grinding away on the DMT was not very pleasant to hear! After the geometry correction on the DMT, and recovering from a near panick attack, I set a new bevel on the Naniwa1k, then I went to the Ozuku Asagi with a nagura progression, finishing on the Maruka Nakayama with thin tomo slurry. Luckily it all turned out fine. The Tenstar is such a great joy to shave with!
Iwasaki 50½, 6/8
The grind is half hollow (hence the ½). It’s my first western Iwasaki. Maybe not a concours winner, it does show some pitting, but it’s okay. I consider it patina. I am still curious whether the blade left Iwasaki’s shop some 50 or 60 years ago in its current 6/8 (or 19mm) size. I know that practically all NOS Iwasaki western razors are close to 13/16 (21 mm). That means there is 0.08” (2mm) of edge lost. But the spine shows no hone wear…
But that’s all just academic. The blade came with a properly honed edge. So I didn’t hone it yet. However, palm stropping the edge felt different from any blade before! I tried it as is and it shaved like a dream. The heft and balance of the half hollow blade is just great. Epic shaver!
Iwasaki 33, 13/16
Full hollow, 20.5mm. My second western Iwasaki. I bought it used. The razor shows its age in some superficial oxidation and minor pitting. It awaits a small restoration (by Max Sprecher) where it also will get new scales. The former user's Japanese name ‘Kosaka’ carved into the original scales is a piece of its history, but leaving it there doesn’t appeal to me. Besides, the scales and pins are a bit asymmetrical. I didn’t hone it yet. This full hollow 33 feels different from the 50½ Iwasaki in weight, size, and handling. Its current edge that it came with gave a super shave!
These Iwasaki razors are epic and I am very proud to own two of them. Sad, but understandable, auction prices for used western Iwasaki straight razors are going throug the roof, let alone for a near mint, NOS, or NOS tamahagane Iwasaki. But first you need to find one...
Kind regards, Paul
- Thread starter
- #58
Welcome, Paul! That is quite the introductory post!
Beautiful razors. and great to have you join the crew!
It’s gonna be tough to top that as a first post! Every single one of those is beautiful.
This is a Western Henkotsu Kami. Another easy to sharpen razor and keeps an edge for a long time. Not sure about the type of steel but this blade is almost 8/8. It's in my top 5 best shavers. Had this blade reground not too long ago.
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