Please Tell Me About This Kamisori

[mjclark]

That's so interesting [MENTION=110116]Lord Fatboy[/MENTION]

And why are you wrapping wooden swords Robin?

I heard that there was a period in Japan when sword making was illegal and the blade smiths turned to making kamisori, and that a lot of amazing razors date from this period.

This morning's shave was the Henkotsu Hinoshita Kaizan "Undisputed Champion"

This razor requires a much steeper angle than my other blades and I guess this is due to the Omote/Ura geometry.
It's also very smooth and stealthy, feeling like a full wedge.
I wondered if it was cutting at all until I saw all the stubble in the lather on the razor cloth and then felt the excellent result on my face.
This is a really smart comfortable shaver.

 

[Lord Fatboy]

That's so interesting [MENTION=110116]Lord Fatboy[/MENTION]

And why are you wrapping wooden swords Robin?

I heard that there was a period in Japan when sword making was illegal and the blade smiths turned to making kamisori, and that a lot of amazing razors date from this period.

This morning's shave was the Henkotsu Hinoshita Kaizan "Undisputed Champion"

This razor requires a much steeper angle than my other blades and I guess this is due to the Omote/Ura geometry.
It's also very smooth and stealthy, feeling like a full wedge.
I wondered if it was cutting at all until I saw all the stubble in the lather on the razor cloth and then felt the excellent result on my face.
This is a really smart comfortable shaver.

Oh, I used to do Kendo & Kenjutsu (like Kendo, but with oak swords). We used to wrap the handles because it transfers the pressure down the shaft of the wooden blade, and over time the designs got more and more fancy. That was quite a while ago.
Swords have been banned at several points in Japanese history, so that makes sense. I would've thought that the biggest explosion in Kamisori would be after the Second World War - with many noble families killed in the war, and no vast Imperial Army to service (and all those hairy GIs) tons of master sword makers would've been out of business, and so would need an alternative source of income.
Because of that, I've always assumed most kamisori on sale in the west came from after WW2? Am I wrong about that?
(But then, a lot of stuff was banned after WW2, all the martial arts for example, except - oddly - Karate)
The markings on kamisori do look similar to those under the handle of Japanese swords - the "mei"

 

[stoop]

Actually that top part mistranslated as "I gladly give my life" says "Tokyo Resident." Not sure about most of the other kanji. The very last one is the kanji used in "to make", though.

 

[mjclark]

Here's some more if someone wants to try their hand at translating:

 

[stoop]

八幡丸 - I would say hachiman-maru, Could also be yahata-maru. It's most likely a name, of a place or thing I would guess - googling shows a few ships named that now, for example (as maru is a common ship name suffix). Hachiman was a war deity and the name is used in the name of towns as both Hachiman and Yahata. It's also possible there is another meaning when you tack 'Maru' ('round') on the end like that, but I do not know it.

Otherwise I could make out some isolated kanji (there's a seven, a couple twos, and "flower") but few of the others were legible to me or in my limited vocab, sorry

 

[mjclark]

Thanks man! We're building a picture from the clues here, and learning a lot along the way...

 

[mjclark]

And [MENTION=100240]stoop[/MENTION] you're right on the money - a quick Google reveals "Yahata Maru" kamisori in other places.

 

[stoop]

Glad my embarrassingly limited vocabulary could help

 

[mjclark]

Azuma Yasuki Steel this morning

I'm still amazed by these razors - the face feel is quite unlike the symmetrical grinds. Somehow it has the qualities of a wedge and an extra hollow simultaneously!

The rubberised handle grip feels good and explains where CJB and Artist Club got their inspiration, and this razor is so nimble.

And, as I'm getting used to, the blade took an amazing edge very quickly.

The blade is 45mm long and I have another Azuma where the blade is 40mm long.

Are these standard sizes?
I see the Itchou-Gake/Nitchou-Gake sizing system but are the actual blade lengths different for different makers?

In any case, this is a great way to start the day [emoji3]

 

[mjclark]

So what about this then?

It's actually on a frameback not a kamisori...
...The characters are pretty clear - what do they say?

 

[mjclark]

Acquired a Tosuke England Steel kamisori:

Got the hang of the rattan handle wrapping too, as long as I keep it simple!

Tosuke is a premier blade maker isn't he?
Found this page with photos of his blades here:
http://www.geocities.co.jp/HeartLand-Asagao/8971/inoue.html

Excited for the shave!

 

[Lord Fatboy]

Actually that top part mistranslated as "I gladly give my life" says "Tokyo Resident." Not sure about most of the other kanji. The very last one is the kanji used in "to make", though.

ｍ（．＿．）ｍアリガト I thought it was wrong, just not that wrong - too late to delete it. Thanks (again)

 

[HunterBlades]

So what about this then?

It's actually on a frameback not a kamisori...
...The characters are pretty clear - what do they say?

If it were me I would try etching a little spot on this tang. It looks like it could be watetsu. Or they are grind/sanding marks.

If it does have grain, it might be cool to make it show more.

 

[mjclark]

If it were me I would try etching a little spot on this tang. It looks like it could be watetsu. Or they are grind/sanding marks.

If it does have grain, it might be cool to make it show more.

I think they are sanding marks but I'll investigate further.

Thanks for the suggestion - now I've learnt what watetsu means too!

 

[fasa]

Please pretty please tell me about this baby. I think the stamp is a [FONT=&quot]藤助[/FONT] tousuke ?

My kanji reading is pretty daft...

 

[mjclark]

Shave with a Tosuke England Steel this morning:

So is the steel really from England?
And when was this made?

Really starting to feel the differences between the various profiles of these kamisori now - this one shaved more like a quarter hollow, very comfortable and no tendency to bite.

Also another kanji quiz!
Can anybody tell me what this says in translation:
金文字（キンモジ）

And I really like the crenellated line between the two metals (is there a special name for that too?)

 

[fasa]

Also another kanji quiz!
Can anybody tell me what this says in translation:
金文字（キンモジ）

it s the maker's brand "kinmoji" in kanji and katakana.

Literally it means gold letter.


Sent from Mars

 

[mjclark]

it s the maker's brand "kinmoji" in kanji and katakana.

Literally it means gold letter.


Sent from Mars

Thank you so much my friend [emoji3]
We are building a good resource here.

 

[mjclark]

Shaved with a Yahata Maru this morning:

Somehow this razor combines the comfortable squeegee feeling of a wedge with the efficient bite of an extra hollow.

I guess that's the asymmetrical profile for you - it really is quite an amazing shave [emoji3]

As I grow to know these kamisori better I realise that, just like Western straights, I prefer the smaller bitey designs to the big heavy grind choppers.

 

[mjclark]

So here's the Kinmoji close up:

So what do the other characters mean?
Kinmoji is a Tosuke brand right?
And is this a range of mountains at the bottom?