Thread: How many SRs do you currently own?

Originally Posted by mainaman

Swedish steel with inscription on the scales

Do you know what the inscription says?

The kanji that says 上島大助 is someone's name, most likely Daisuke Ueshima (you often can't know the correct way to read a Japanese person's name until they tell you the correct way; for instance, 上島 is most commonly read as "Ueshima", but can be read as Uejima, Uwashima, Uwajima, Kamishima... and so on).

On the same side of the scales it says 贈呈, which means that it's a gift that was given with great ceremony.

I can't make out the kanji on the other side, but it seems to be the name of the person who gave the gift and either a message or affiliation. However, I can make out the last name, which is also Ueshima. Nevertheless, it's a common last name, and therefore not conclusive evidence of blood relation.

In any event, it looks like the receiver of the gift took excellent care of it. The gift must have been well received.

Earlier today I was looking at an old Iwasaki catalog from 1963. ¥3,500 for a tamahagane Western, ¥600 for a tamahagane kamisori (historical aside: Western straights had/have a better reputation for craftsmanship in Japan because of the expertise and labor needed to grind and finish Western straights). Adjusted for inflation, that's roughly equivalent to USD $160 and $30, respectively, today. If only I had a time machine...

Anyway, thank you for sharing such an interesting razor. Its hidden history is certainly intriguing.