Thread: Japanese Straights

Originally Posted by rolodave

A kamisori grind by definition is uneven in appearance
A symmetrical grind on a Japanese origin razor is simply a Japanese razor with a western grind

Aka a symmetrical kamisori

It is what straight razor enthusiasts in the west call that traditional grind.

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

It is what straight razor enthusiasts in the west call that traditional grind.

Thank you brother !!! You get it!!!

Yeah...hate to break it but "sombrero" is Spanish for "hat" also.

Kamisori does indeed mean razor even an electric razor.
It's written 剃(shave)刀(sword/blade). But originally it was written 髪(hair)剃(shave), a Buddhism term of course.

If you want to be accurate, the asymmetrical blade on a stick is correctly called Wa Kamisori.
Wa, 和 , means Japan or Japanese, like Wa-gyuto (Japanese chefs knife), Wa-fu (Japanese style), Wa-fuku (Japanese clothes, i.e. Kimonos), Wa-shoku (Japanese food/cuisine), etc.

So Wa-Kamisori means, Japanese Hair Shaver.

Credit to So Yamashita for the explanation.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Kamisori does indeed mean razor even an electric razor.
It's written 剃(shave)刀(sword/blade). But originally it was written 髪(hair)剃(shave), a Buddhism term of course.

If you want to be accurate, the asymmetrical blade on a stick is correctly called Wa Kamisori.
Wa, 和 , means Japan or Japanese, like Wa-gyuto (Japanese chefs knife), Wa-fu (Japanese style), Wa-fuku (Japanese clothes, i.e. Kimonos), Wa-shoku (Japanese food/cuisine), etc.

So Wa-Kamisori means, Japanese Hair Shaver.

Credit to So Yamashita for the explanation.

This is awesome info thank you !!! The attached picture below is symmetrical kamisori what is the technical japanese term for this style?

Originally Posted by Axeman556

This is awesome info thank you !!! The attached picture below is symmetrical kamisori what is the technical japanese term for this style?

Good question. It is a razor, so, of course, kamisori is accurate. It's kind of a paradox. ie it's Japanese but not traditionally built & with a western grind so not inclined to add the Wa prefix..

Is it San-Mai or mono steel ? Wa Kamisori were always made as a single laminate of hard steel to soft iron.

yes, and a Gillette mach razor is a Kamisori in Japan too. So what does that prove?

A traditional Japanese razor is what we here refer to as a kamisori and it is but it is a subset or type of kamisori if you want to be technical.

You know like the letter of the law and the spirit of the law.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Good question. It is a razor, so, of course, kamisori is accurate. It's kind of a paradox. ie it's Japanese but not traditionally built & with a western grind so not inclined to add the Wa prefix..

Is it San-Mai or mono steel ? Wa Kamisori were always made as a single laminate of hard steel to soft iron.

That is a great question let me grab a pic of the paper In the box that's been translated it talks about that in there , very curious what you make of it. Once it is in my hands and can send you a pic of the actual paper in Japanese.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Good question. It is a razor, so, of course, kamisori is accurate. It's kind of a paradox. ie it's Japanese but not traditionally built & with a western grind so not inclined to add the Wa prefix..

Is it San-Mai or mono steel ? Wa Kamisori were always made as a single laminate of hard steel to soft iron.

That pic didn't come out great . Here is what it translated to.

The Japanese razor is made with the world's best pot, which is mixed with amount of chromium and tanamarine using sand value from umpaku as a raw material and refined. Forged and polished for rough conditions we explored advantages of western style leather and made best use of the feature.

Again once it's in my hands I can send you a pic of the actual Japanese paper