Thread: Help Identifying a Handmade Japanese Razor

Originally Posted by Dovo1695

Sharptonn: I guess I can see why you'd think I'm making this up since I just signed up and don't have many posts under my belt. I see what you mean about the circle and 3 line kanji looking skewed. All I can tell you is that it's the same knife. I think it's just the different angles that the photos were taken at. I tried to recreate it with a few pics just now:





Changing the angle that the photo is taken and orienting the blade from 10 o'clock to 8 o'clock makes it look like the kanji are orient differently. At any rate, all I can tell you is that it's the same knife.

What I'm trying to figure out is when this knife was made. I'm curious to get in touch with Jim Rion at easternsmooth.com from the link that entropy sent. He seems to know an awful lot about Iwasaki razors.

Either way, Hone it up!

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Either way, Hone it up!

I'm scared to even handle the damn thing now let alone put it on my stones. I've always been leery of even honing it, and that was before I knew what it was. Dovo's are good enough for a hack like me. I was planning on shaving with it on my wedding day about 10 years ago, but the logistics didn't work out on such a crazy day.

I guess it's not much of a heirloom if it's never been used though. I'm going to have to put a new coat of camelia oil on it while I think about a special occasion to use it for.

Originally Posted by Dovo1695

I'm scared to even handle the damn thing now let alone put it on my stones. I've always been leery of even honing it, and that was before I knew what it was. Dovo's are good enough for a hack like me. I was planning on shaving with it on my wedding day about 10 years ago, but the logistics didn't work out on such a crazy day.

I guess it's not much of a heirloom if it's never been used though. I'm going to have to put a new coat of camelia oil on it while I think about a special occasion to use it for.

It may well have a scary sharp edge from the maker. HHT and if results are promising, give it a spin!

Also: I'd not use any animal, vegetable, or plant based oils on your blades as they will tend to dry, become gummy, and some will go rancid. Mineral oil is the safest bet.

Originally Posted by Dovo1695

I'm scared to even handle the damn thing now let alone put it on my stones. I've always been leery of even honing it, and that was before I knew what it was. Dovo's are good enough for a hack like me. I was planning on shaving with it on my wedding day about 10 years ago, but the logistics didn't work out on such a crazy day.

I guess it's not much of a heirloom if it's never been used though. I'm going to have to put a new coat of camelia oil on it while I think about a special occasion to use it for.

Amazing story and razor. I used camellia oil for a short time and found that it left a gummy residue if the razor sat for awhile and discolored the steel. I know it is the traditional samurai method and possibly not everyone experienced this. Oops, just saw Mike posted this. I compromised and put Ballistol in a camellia oil applicator.
I see what Tom was saying. I think it is an example of parallax.
Dovo1695 please shower us with more pics when you have time. You have a treasure!

Originally Posted by entropy1049

My best guess is that Mr. Stanley was able to persuade someone who knew Shigeyoshi Iwasaki or Mr. Mizuochi, who has run Sanjo Seisakujo since S. Iwasaki retired, to cough up one of the NOS blades that Sanjo Seisakujo is rumored to have. I recall reading somewhere, probably something from Jim Rion, that he saw NOS tamahagane blades when he was given a tour of the manufacturing facility and was told flat out that they were not for sale at any price and were reserved for a special circle of friends. This would also explain why yours does not have the typical black scales that we're used to seeing on tI's.

As age goes, I'm the current owner of Stefan's black scaled Iwasaki (serial #1676). At one time I had information (if I recall correctly obtained from from Takeshi at A-Frames Tokyo) on Iwasaki numbering that put mine as manufactured in 1976.

But I'm guessing the time between the manufacture of your blade and the finishing of the razor was probably at least 15 years.

Now I'm really intrigued. I googled Takeshi & A-Frames Tokyo and see that he still has a lot of Iwasaki razors. If he was able to date yours, he may be able to date mine. I'm also going to follow up with Harrelson Stanley to get his perspective.

At this point I'm not sure which will be better, passing on the family story of the razor to my oldest son, or handing down the razor to him. The tough part is I have 2 sons (ages 3 and 10months)! According to my brother this knife was ordered as a pair. If I can track down the second one in the original set it would blow my mind.

I've been emailing with Mr. Takeshi Aoki in hopes of getting an estimate of the date of manufacture of my razor. It sounds as though he's handled about as many Iwasaki razors as anyone; by my count he's got 8 Iwasaki Tamahagane Western Razors for sale on website right now.

To be honest I was thrilled that he emailed back at all, because I'm sure he's a busy man and I wasn't looking to buy anything. In fact, he emailed me back within an hour with a remarkably detailed and helpful reply. I was really impressed that he was so generous with his time and expertise despite the fact that I was only looking for information on a knife that I already owned, and not even trying to buy anything.

I'll post the contents of his reply because it contains some information that may be of interest to folks in the future looking for info on these razors. I was especially intrigued to learn that the average lot was under 10 pieces, and that around half of them did not pass inspection. I was also surprised to learn that they still had the ability to make the tamahagane western razors until the flood of 2004. That means it's at least in the realm of possibility that my razor was made around 2000. From what my brother said, it took a year to get them made. Mr. Aoki says it was possible to make them, but that they did not make them often due to the difficulty to make them. So I guess it's less likely, but still possible that my razor was made around 2000. At any rate, I sent him the pictures posted here and this is what he said:


Dear Mr. Nicholas Hall,

Thank you for the mail.

That is a beautiful Iwasaki Tamahagane straight razor.

If the red scale is the original, it is rare color, and it is not often seen.

As you mentioned, it was made with at least 5 of them.

Mr. Iwasaki told me, they could make less than 10 pieces the most of times, and the half of them were not passed the quenching and tempering processes.

Tamahagane is one of purest steel in the world, so it is very hard to success the processes.

I have seen the serial number around #500 before several times, so it might started around there.

I asked Mr. Iwasaki about the earliest number, but he did not remember the exactly the earliest number.

They had succeeded to make Tamahagane straight razors little by little on 1952, and It was his father business too, so I understand what he cannot remembered it.

I have seen the most recently number is #1800 or #1900 or something like that.

I guess that I have never seen #2000.

Therefore, your razor is the one of youngest one.

I have heard that they lost the machine to make scale the disaster of the flood on 2004, so since then, they cannot make the Tamahagane straight razor.

Even around 2004, it is able to make straight razor, but it is not easy to make it, so they do not make often.

Therefore, around 1980, it might be made, as you mentioned.

Originally Posted by Dovo1695

I've been emailing with Mr. Takeshi Aoki

Takeshi is a stand up guy.

I was only looking for information on a knife that I already owned, and not even trying to buy anything

Ok dude, you're in the club...you have to stop calling it a knife

How do the carbon/swedish steel Iwasaki razor's compare?

Originally Posted by WW243

Ok dude, you're in the club...you have to stop calling it a knife

I guess it's true what the say: "You can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy"...

I'll do a quick "find & replace" before future posts so it's less obvious how unworthy of this thing I am.