Thread: Japanese straight questions

can't stop myself.. i have to explain.....


ok, another image guys.

you are a samurai, u have a blade in your hand. you gotta cut the HANDS of the person in front of you. How will you do ???
you will hold the blade up (Ura facing you and Omote facing the person) and chop down (Ura always facing you right ???)

Now, same thing happens with kamisori : you have to cut out something from someone facing you. Would it be small hair or a bigger part of the body, when you use a japanese blade on someone facing you, it's the Omote that touches the skin, the body of the person first)

Now, imagine yourself getting a shave from someone with a kamisori. What side of the blade will be facing your skin when the kamisori approaches your face ???? Omote again.

And now it's you who is holding the blade. What side will you use on your face.
in fact i really don't care.
but if you want to recreate the experience u had when someone shaved you, use the omote.
If you wanna try something else, do it.
but please, understand why and how a japanese blade was meant and used.

LesPoils look at the 5th and 6th thumbnail in the book -it's up, it's down. http://japan-tool.com/

Originally Posted by kevint

LesPoils look at the 5th and 6th thumbnail in the book -it's up, it's down. Japan Tool

Yes Kevint.
thank you. nice sashimi from So !!

of course, as i told, i do also use the Ura on my face too. No prob on that.

but then, if it's to be use up or down, why have they make it asymetrical ??

we all know (do we ?!) that there is a "fonctional" (function) reason for that.





(wait, are u telling that in some part of the world, there are some persons that shave with a kamisori, using the Ura side on their face and that the police don't get them to prison ??? really ?? they CAN do it ?? wow)

Originally Posted by LesPoils

.......
, why have they make it asymetrical ??
.....

Why...
History.... quality steel was rare and expensive.
The Japanese frugal solution was to weld
small amount on one side. Once
the weld was done the wedge shape
of the final knife is a given.

Yes with twice the steel it would have been
possible but difficult and more expensive to
weld the fine EXPENSIVE stuff in the middle
as a sandwich.

Japan was and is a resource starved island.

Originally Posted by niftyshaving

Why...
History.... quality steel was rare and expensive.
The Japanese frugal solution was to weld
small amount on one side. Once
the weld was done the wedge shape
of the final knife is a given.

Yes with twice the steel it would have been
possible but difficult and more expensive to
weld the fine EXPENSIVE stuff in the middle
as a sandwich.

Japan was and is a resource starved island.

And again, that EXPENSIVE steel was put where ?? on where it was going to be used, on the omote side right ??
am i ??


would that be the reason why the side that is sharpen, the side that is used would be the omote ??
is that kinda of making some sort of sense ??

Les, as I understand it, the good steel was put on the ura side, the weld lines show up on some of the vintage Jstr8s. The only part that has good steel exposed on the omote side is just the bevel. I ask you the question you asked, which side is supposed to be against the face, the side with the good steel? Or the trashy steel?

Originally Posted by Jasongreat

Les, as I understand it, the good steel was put on the ura side, the weld lines show up on some of the vintage Jstr8s. The only part that has good steel exposed on the omote side is just the bevel. I ask you the question you asked, which side is supposed to be against the face, the side with the good steel? Or the trashy steel?

Nicely asked Jason !!

i have only heard of japanese barbers telling (when we they were asked wich side should be used against the face) that Omote side should be used. Some barbers say that both sides can be used. But i never heard of a japanese barber (a guy who is paid to hold and use kamisori) who said that Ura side should be used on the face.

Let's point out that the barbers i am speaking of seemed to have a little surprise look when asked such question : they did not seems to understand the question. Not that much that they don't understand the question, more that they wonder why we wanna know such things that sems so obvious to them.


So, again, find a japanese barber who will tell that he mainly use the Ura and follow what he saysif u want. But i haven't heard of any.

Originally Posted by niftyshaving

Why...
History.... quality steel was rare and expensive.
The Japanese frugal solution was to weld
small amount on one side. Once
the weld was done the wedge shape
of the final knife is a given.

Yes with twice the steel it would have been
possible but difficult and more expensive to
weld the fine EXPENSIVE stuff in the middle
as a sandwich.

Japan was and is a resource starved island.

The Romans placed a high premium on their steely iron yet their composite razors were symmetrical

Originally Posted by Jasongreat

Les, as I understand it, the good steel was put on the ura side, the weld lines show up on some of the vintage Jstr8s. The only part that has good steel exposed on the omote side is just the bevel. I ask you the question you asked, which side is supposed to be against the face, the side with the good steel? Or the trashy steel?

Jason, i assume you understand that much of the honing of the kamisori is done on the Omote side.
i understand, but i am not sure, that it would be kind of dumb to put soft metal on the omote (from the edge to the shinogi line lets say) because much of the honing is done there and that would scrap the angle of the edge in just 2 minutes of honing. right ?

Omote side is hard steel
i think u are wrong thinking that omote is jigane

Originally Posted by kevint

The Romans placed a high premium on their steely iron yet their composite razors were symmetrical

Nice information Kevint
thank you



well, this thread seems alive after all !!