Thread: Japanese Razor Talk!

Does anyone have a feel for the value of a 50mm forged by Iwasaki Shigeyoshi himself NOS rather than just new ones by Mizuochi-san ?

Mentioning Japan and steel at the same time makes people write stories more fantastic than the Lord of the Rings or Chronicles of Narnia. Mentioning it in front of Joel though and you'll get a Chronik of a story. $2000 and more, ya know?

The 60 mm version is more expensive because the amount of good steel is 20% than the 50 mm version.
Japanese smiths typically use only high quality steel for the cutting edge, while the rest of the razor / chisel / knife is made from low grade steel or iron.

Even with swords, the steel at the edge is not the same as the steel used for the tang, even though both are tamahagane. Tamahagane is graded by smiths, and only the best stuff is used for sword edges. The lower the garading, the more common its use.

There are swedish carbon steels that are so close to tamahagane that the difference is negligable.
Tamahagane itself is not a magical material. The big reason for the cost and the popularity of the stuff is that it is handmade by experts, as opposed to smelted in a computer controlled environment. The 'cool' factor of genuine Japanese tamahagane is off the charts. AND it is a very good steel. But the quality alone itself does not cause the astronomical cost.

Originally Posted by Russel Baldridge

Other's take great pride in advertising that they work with Swedish steel because in Japan it is seen as somehow superior to their own varieties.

The grass is always greener on the other side.

I suspect it is not so much that the grass is greener, but that it is there.
The use and sale of tamahagane are regulated. Only real blacksmiths can actually buy it, and the oldest smiths get first pick.

On top of that, the available material is scarce enough that is is used mostly for swords / knives only, and really expensive. This is the reason that plane blades and razors made out of tamahagane are rare. And it probably won't be the best sword grade steel either.

Some Swedish white steel is so close to tamahagane that it's virtually identical (from an explanation on So's website) so that is why it is so popular with Japanese blacksmiths. they can actually buy the stuff, whereas tamahagane is loads more expensive, and not available in the quantities needed for chisels, plane blades etc.

true enough, but not all available need come from the NBTHK tatara. Any smith with the notion could set up his own bloomery for small runs. The bottom line is the time and expense needed to refine the blooms into forge ready steel.

Originally Posted by kevint

true enough, but not all available need come from the NBTHK tatara. Any smith with the notion could set up his own bloomery for small runs. The bottom line is the time and expense needed to refine the blooms into forge ready steel.

Not only that, but to do a succesful run the traditional way requires half a lifetime of experience. So it is not something that you decide to do on a lark.

heee, yeah. By notion, I did not mean on a lark. I'm only saying if you need some, the allotment from the NBTHK tatara is not the only source, there is also recycling in addition to making your own.

I think all forms of "homade" steel are cool. Not because it is superior to mill products but because it is as good as it is; not to mention the skill, knowledge, time, effort it takes to create.

the difference between a bronze tool and steel is like the difference between an abacus and a calculator, man. This is the stuff that made the modern world possible, yet here we are today able to take it for granted.

I spoke to a friend in Japan who use to be a sword smith on the subject of right-handed and left-handed razors.

Left-handed people also use the right-handed tosuke razors.

There used to be tosuke razors for left-handed people but no more.

And even if you can find left-handed Tosuke, it would be very rare and expensive.

Anyway, there's no problem if left-handed people use right-handed ones and left-handed people use Tosuke razors here in Japan.

So while it can be done and is done, it wasn't originally meant to be done. Debate over.