Thread: Japanese Razors

I received my Iwasaki from Japan Woodworker about a week ago and finally got it honed up really nicely. I shaved this morning and got the closest shave I've ever done with my own hands. I tried shaving with both sides at first, but then only used the concave side because it clearly cut better. It was like butter!

However, I have no idea of how to properly hold the razor. I pretty much hacked my way through it. Is anyone aware of illustrations or photos or video of someone properly using one of these?

So far as I know there is no "proper" accepted way to hone these exactly. Most original documentation is pretty general, showing the washboard technique on a natural stone with slurry.

Personally I'm learning more and more about honing my Tosukes, they are very particular. And while I can get good results by doing what I've compiled between here and B&B forums, I get much better results by paying more attention to the asymmetrical grind. In other words, I find it's not as important to have the exact 2:3 ratio as much as it is to make sure the wedge side is ground down each pass. Very often with light pressure a burr builds up (on the wedge side) from stroking the hollow side within only 2 back and forth passes. I find that 3-4 passes are necessary on the wedge side to get everything to be in contact with the hone, but the problem is that it could be different for different hones. This leads me to conclude that the uneven ratio is not as much for keeping the razor even, but more for immediate function. I don't think if you use even passes that you would change the razor shape fundamentally, it just won't be as keen an edge as possible. Also I believe finishing on the hollow side gives a smoother edge as compared to finishing your last passes on the wedge side, my theory is that the burr is then aligned so that the hollow side towards your face is the most comfortable. You can hone it the other way, but this is one contributing factor to why you should only use one side against your face, and it does depend on how it's honed.

Once I get my chinese 12k I'm going to compile all my findings into one post that will hopefully be a good resource on how to hone these razors. Right now it seems most of the information available is fragmented and not all that accurate, at least for my razors.

OOPS -- I meant to learn the proper way to hone it while shaving, not honing.

Originally Posted by prhomme

OOPS -- I meant to learn the proper way to hone it while shaving, not honing.

While I wouldn't hone the razor while shaving...I see what you mean

As far as grips...experiment. Sometimes I hold it like I would a pencil, sometimes other ways with the blade off either side. Pretty much any way you can think to hold it securely should be ok.

It would seem to me the real reason you should shave with the concave side towards your face is that the grind on these razors is more like the tip of a chisel. One side is flatter than the other.


Now then, if you have ever used a chisel, you will know that there is a definite difference in which side you use. if you have the angled side towards the workpiece, and the flat side away from it, the chisel glides along and removes a thin section of wood. If you flip it over, the geometry causes the chisel to no longer glide along the workpiece, but rather to dig into it, unless you can reduce the angle to very flat to the work surface.

So, I think this is why it is recommended to keep the concave side towards your face.