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With their fine razors, blades, hones, and strops, I'm wondering whether Japan also produces fine shaving brushes (or soaps or creams, for that matter).
Has anybody encountered or used a Japanese shaving brush, or have I just not noticed any mentions?
being an artist club user.. i wanted to find the same.. it seems to me as if everyone in japan uses non lathering brushless shave creams which have had nothing but negative revues..
granted.. i gave up search after a few days.. perhaps there is some mythical samurai style brushmaker out there somewhere..
I wish. The only brush I've seen produced in Japan is a mix of goat hair and "water badger" hair and it looks cheap, cheap cheap. There are no good soaps in my experience, either.
At all the shops I've seen selling this type of stuff, they have some German boar brushes and Plisson silvertips, that's about it.
The old guys I talked to said that back in the day, everyone just used water.
the only thing I have seen that looked like a shaving brush was made out of bamboo and used in the Japanese tea ceremony.
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/x...a-ceremony.jpg
They certainly do things differently over there as evidenced by their razors (among other things) so I'm not surprised they didn't use brushes.
I was at a trade show a few months ago and there was one vendor who was a brush maker (not shaving brushes though) who had a selection of shaving brushes he had sourced from somewhere else in Japan.
There were 3 or 4 different 'types', one was horse hair, another was goat horse mix and the last was a 100% 'Tanuki' or racoon hair. That one was around $100 bucks.
I asked a number of questions but beccause he hand't made them himself he didn't really know a lot, other than the type of hair.
There is a Boar brush made by Sou Akada that can be used for shaving and is marketed as such in some shops. But the brush's initial design was for women to whip up a lather to wash their face and body with. They are nice looking handles, but the few I have acctually handled have had some super thick boar hair, and in some cases the hair was upside down with the super thick bristle base up near the top of the loft. No thanks.
Interesting, thanks Jim.Quote:
Originally Posted by JimR
the thought of touching my artist club to my face while only using water as a lubricant really scares the hell out of me.. i guess i just don't have the bushido mentality or something.
You're such a girly man you are.;):DQuote:
Originally Posted by vthomlinson
i require a nice almond or lavender scent in the least.. geez..
A man must live by the code!
The code in life is everything!
Bushido is the code! There is no deviation!
This you must learn!
So what is the code Grandpa?
Well son, it's whatever we need it to be at that moment, but once it's there it is the code!
Sometime ago I saw a lather brush in a Mitsukoshi dept store made from squirrel hair.
To my lasting regret I put off purchasing it and actually got this site doing some research into it.
If I find anything, I'll be sure to post.
Hmmm, it would seem like there would be a better way to put a kamisori to ones face thanjust using water? I wonder if they used some kind of oil or some other lubricant? Itjust seems like a lot went into making a razor...honing it with stones from ancient mines, handles intrically wrapped. Deliveredinto the hands of a trusted person to actually do the shaving of another.....Then, they just throw splash of water in their face and hack away? Seems anticlimatic for japanese tradition, don't youthink?
Or maybe all that work was done so you wouldn't need anything more than water, perhaps?Quote:
Originally Posted by Wintchase
http://www.hairizon.com.sg/Japan-Sha...ng-Brush-B.jpg
Hairizon Singapore | Japan shaving cream and soap and Japan shaving brush in racoon
this website offering Japanese shaving brushes using raccoon, goat and horse hair.