Tokyo, Japan (Introduction)

Hello all, while I've have had an interest most of my adult life, I've only had a couple of straight razor shaves at barbers here in Japan and have never attempted it myself. I am currently in the initial information gathering and learning stages, and don't even own a razor yet. That being said, I am an avid martial artist and Japanese kitchen knife aficionado so I have some familiarity with high performance blades. I already own a number of sharpening stones/hones (Atoma #140, #1200, and Shapton Professional #320, #1000, #5000), and leather strops. I imagine I'll add a Shapton Pro #8000 and #12,000 to that collection once I purchase a razor. I'm open to suggestion, but at this point I am primarily interested in Japanese made western style folding straight razors. I look forward to learning a lot here!

Cheers,
Pete

Welcome to SRP!

there are some excellent Japanese made straights and strops. as for the hones adding those two shaptons will fill all your honing needs; just remember honing a razor is nothing like sharpening a knife.

enjoy,
jim

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Originally Posted by syslight

Welcome to SRP!

there are some excellent Japanese made straights and strops. as for the hones adding those two shaptons will fill all your honing needs; just remember honing a razor is nothing like sharpening a knife.

enjoy,
jim

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Thank you for the welcome! Yeah, I definitely realize there are some significant differences between knives and razors. Fortunately for my wallet, there is some "equipment" overlap with the stones and strops. I've found a few places here this week, but I'm having a bit of challenge finding actual brick and mortar stores to check out some razors. I'm open to new or NOS, but at this point understandably want to make a modest initial investment, definitely not more than 20,000 yen.

Welcome Pete !

Hi and welcome. Ed

Welcome to the 'Place'
There are a few of us with similar interests to yourself.
As you are in Japan I assume you have the Ha No Kuromaku Shaptons ? The 8k is totally redundant between the 5 &12 for razors. I bought one just to see but the 12k can do the job of both with just a little more time.
You won't go wrong with a Japanese razor fixed or folding.
Gambatte O Kudasai !

Thank you! Yes, you are correct. I have the "Black Mark" Shaptons. Good timing with your advice, as I almost picked up the 8k today. Based upon your recommendation, I'll skip it and grab the 12k.

Regarding razors, my local barber actually gave me 5 vintage razors that he was no longer using, a FON, MG, Hokusai, Wings, and an unmarked one. They are in various states of disrepair and need a bit of TLC, but my gut says there are some quality razors there. Now I need to find out what is the best way to bring them back to their full potential.

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Originally Posted by Yamabushi

Thank you! Yes, you are correct. I have the "Black Mark" Shaptons. Good timing with your advice, as I almost picked up the 8k today. Based upon your recommendation, I'll skip it and grab the 12k.

Regarding razors, my local barber actually gave me 5 vintage razors that he was no longer using, a FON, MG, Hokusai, Wings, and an unmarked one. They are in various states of disrepair and need a bit of TLC, but my gut says there are some quality razors there. Now I need to find out what is the best way to bring them back to their full potential.

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You'll find plenty of info here on restoring but some pics of the razors would get you some opinions.

Welcome from an equally avid Genbukan/KJJR member!

A western style Japanese razor is something that I don't have in my collection but am increasingly keen to add—are they (or traditional kamisori) particularly hard to find in Tokyo? I'm coming out for a couple of weeks in May and might consider trying to get my hands on something if I get the opportunity.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Yamabushi

Thank you! Yes, you are correct. I have the "Black Mark" Shaptons. Good timing with your advice, as I almost picked up the 8k today. Based upon your recommendation, I'll skip it and grab the 12k.

Regarding razors, my local barber actually gave me 5 vintage razors that he was no longer using, a FON, MG, Hokusai, Wings, and an unmarked one. They are in various states of disrepair and need a bit of TLC, but my gut says there are some quality razors there. Now I need to find out what is the best way to bring them back to their full potential.

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Welcome!

We "demand" pictures, everyone love pics!
Just wait until you try out the Japanese natural stones, for a lot of people there is no turning back after that!

I got some kamisoris and folding Japanese razors... there is a thread about them somewhere.

Konitchiwa. Welcome to the forum. I use a set of Shapton Ceramic Pro stones for razor honing and I love them. I've got a 1k, 2k, 5k. 8k and 12k. I'm jealous that you probably have access to some great kamisoris over there.

Welcome. There is a beautiful Coral Japanese western in the classifieds right now...

OK here is what I've got:
Attachment 153206
Attachment 153207
Attachment 153208
Attachment 153209
Attachment 153210
Attachment 153211

For the record, they look significantly better in person than they do in these photos. Obviously, varying degrees of frowning and a few little spots of minor rust that need fixing, but mostly they need a good cleaning. The FON is definitely in the worst condition with the cracked scales and the seriously misshapen blade, but I took it because it was the one name I was familiar with at the time, and I figured it would be good to experiment on.

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Originally Posted by Lemur

I got some kamisoris and folding Japanese razors... there is a thread about them somewhere.

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Indeed there is :)
http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...straights.html