Tokyo riki flash on the way as we speak!
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Tokyo riki flash on the way as we speak!
I ended up acquiring two Japanese razors
Tokyo riki flash & hikari 1000 "white scales"
Rocket no. 38
Kenwa. Folding kamisori
Giyana biken osaka
Your getting quite a nice collection of Japanese straights, you'll have to get a kamisori next :D
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
It is what straight razor enthusiasts in the west call that traditional grind.
Attachment 348482
Yeah...hate to break it but "sombrero" is Spanish for "hat" also.
:shrug:
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.
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.
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
I have heard the term Western Grind Kamisori many times.
What is the definition of Kamisori? I thought it translates to 'Razor'?
The powerful OZ will tell us.....
It does translate to razor , that said folks are arguing over the traditionality of what is a quote unquote kamisori. I did learn something tho traditionally a tradinal Japanese asymmetrical kamisori is bimetal hard steel forged to a soft iron back. you could have a asymmetrical kamisori and if it is monocore it is not traditional!
Well, All razors are different....somehow! :rofl2:
I was only half kidding about the "sombrero." Often foreigners to a term or product improperly use or translate words and form them to their own meaning...like the sombrero de charro which is the proper term for what we north of the Rio Grande know as just a sombrero. Does the fact that we use their language wrong make us right in naming things incorrectly? I mean, c'mon. Even you who will NEVER admit they are wrong (you know who you are...or sadly maybe you don't ) can't say yes to that.
Add to that that language is a fickle mistress. When I lived in California in the 80s the Mexican guys I knew called each other "cuņado." I asked them what it meant and they said "It doesn't translate. Literally it means brother in law but that's not what it means. It's like homeboy. It doesn't mean the same in Spanish as what you mean in English."
Yeah I did & it's still unusual to use hard steel for the whole razor. Is it Yasuki yellow , white, blue ?
Got these guys in today
Manaslu
And the kenwa symmetrical kamisori
Sorry I can't read much Japanese. If it was French or Italian we'd be in with a chance :D
Try here. You might have some luck but the thread's been quiet for a while : https://sharprazorpalace.com/razors/...-requests.html
Kenwa is the Brand
The Translation is semi correct with the word "Wa" as in Wa-Kamisori which is the name of the common Asymmetrical Kamisori
The other problem on that is the "Single Edge" designation to a common Wa-Kamisori
They are double edged also simply not equal hollow ground aka Asymmetrical
Basically for purposes on the forums and FB they are commonly called
Western Grind = Symetrical
Traditional Grind = Asymetrical
From my severely limited and usually wrong "Dojo Japanese" if you were going to break apart Ken-Wa it would be "Japanese Fist" maybe
This is all well and good for the sake of discussion and pertinent maybe to us and likely no one else. Don't get me wrong. I'm not passing judgement. It's all fine and proper for us to talk about in good health. Debate keeps the mind sharp and wards off mental lassitude.
I just remember when I was building my first hotrod. I was pontificating about something that, in retrospect was inconsequential and a friend who was helping with the install said to me in exaggerated southern accent, "Hellfire! Just bolt 'er up billy Bob."
At the end of the day maybe it's just something to shave with....:shrug:
Again, not making any judgements just...puttin' that out there.
I find it kind of interesting because I haven't got a clue of the langauge or writing or history. And while it just be an insturment to shave with, it just points out the history, culture and the people who used the same stuff we do now. Looks like we haven't progressed at all!
Glen I was able to get a full translation on that note, it's pretty cool!
This is Nihon Kamisori, but the blade is symmetrical, as in western straight razors!! This is a Japanese Straight Razor made by hand with special steel in Japan. It was made by the blacksmith. They were making the Samurai sword before. This kenwa razor was made with iron sand, a small amount of chrome and tungsten by izumo area's blacksmith. This was made by the same process as tamahagane. This has the strong point of a western razor, and characteristic of a Japanese razor. The razor blade has been sharpened to ryo-ba (symmetrical blade) by the Blacksmith's Workshop. The above description is written to attached paper.
Nihon is Japan
That's pretty awesome!
Hookstown, Pa. Melody Lanes comes to mind when I think of Hookstown. Did a lot of rollerskating there when I was a kid. Probably gone to the ages now!