Thread: Japanese speakers/translater/people who know stuff about kamisori's assemble! :)

The razor I have is made by Ryujin who long before they ever made razors are very well respected Samurai sword makers, and the Japanese being quite proud of Tamahagane steel wouldn't allow a registered company to stamp a razor marked down as being made from Tamagane if it was not, I also have a razor made from Yasuki steel which is not Tamahagane. PS I also contacted Tamahagane Honsa, and he told me the maker and said the razor was definitely made of Tamahagane.


Yasuki Hagane steel has been produced in their plant in Shimane prefecture in Japan where the high quality iron sand has been produced for making traditional Japanese swords since ancient times. These are three main premium grade high carbon steels (Shirogami, Aogami and Aogami Super) that have been used for making Japanese made field & kitchen knives. Hitachi metal is also known as the manufacture of high grade premium stainless steel, ATS-34 and ZDP-189.
ZDP-189 is the highest performing steel in the knife industry today.

Originally Posted by Bruno

If it is not stamped on the razor, imo it is not a tamahagane, no matter what it says on the box. After all, it is easy enough to put a different razor in the box.
With western razor it is common enough to buy them second hand with the wrong box, so the same could be true for Japanese razors.
After all, if it would have been tamahagane, they wouldn't have 'forgotten' to stamp it on the steel, considering that it is a major selling point.

I know, that should be very obvious!
BUT the kanji, written ON the box (in the razor) is EXACTLY the same as ON the kami, ON the box there is no Tamahagane kanji on the razor, it is written aside, you could also say, why not just on the razor... It seems very strange, also, as mentioned, I have seen Shizo Saburo that are really not Tamahagane, and they have other kanji than this one...
Is there someone who has a Shizo Saburo with Tamahagane kanji ON THE RAZOR?

Yes, it could be an other razor in a "Tamahagane box", but the resemblance of the razor kanji and picture kanji is striking to me,
so I'm not convinced...

Originally Posted by celticcrusader

The razor I have is made by Ryujin who long before they ever made razors are very well respected Samurai sword makers, and the Japanese being quite proud of Tamahagane steel wouldn't allow a registered company to stamp a razor marked down as being made from Tamagane if it was not, I also have a razor made from Yasuki steel which is not Tamahagane.


Yasuki Hagane steel has been produced in their plant in Shimane prefecture in Japan where the high quality iron sand has been produced for making traditional Japanese swords since ancient times. These are three main premium grade high carbon steels (Shirogami, Aogami and Aogami Super) that have been used for making Japanese made field & kitchen knives. Hitachi metal is also known as the manufacture of high grade premium stainless steel, ATS-34 and ZDP-189.
ZDP-189 is the highest performing steel in the knife industry today.

Well I can't read the kanji but the "Tamahagane Razors.Co LTD" is the same as on mine.
Tamahagane as a name is seems not to be protected in any way, lots of knives carry that name in Japan.
So my thought was if there is razors made from other steels than tamahagane but stamped with the "Tamahagane Razors.Co LTD".

I don't need a lecture in Japanese steels, I know of them.

The Razors. Co LTD is a Company and they sell many different brands of razors, but they certainly don't make them, and as I said my razor was made by Ryujin, and Ryujin are not the Razor company LTD they are just the sellers, could you post the tang markings of your Daishi razor it would be good to compare them? I've also seen a Daishi razors with completely different markings to my Ryujin razor, Mainaman might still have a Daishi 800 a beautiful razor but entirely different to my razor.

Originally Posted by celticcrusader

The razor I have is made by Ryujin who long before they ever made razors are very well respected Samurai sword makers, and the Japanese being quite proud of Tamahagane steel wouldn't allow a registered company to stamp a razor marked down as being made from Tamagane if it was not, .

Wrong. So Yamashita told me that that was exactly what happened in Japan, just like Western knife companies used words like Damascus steel.
the term Tamahagane was used as a generic marketing term by many companies without the steel being actual tamahagane.
And even if it is genuine tamahagane, it would not be the sword quality tamahagane which got sorted aside for licensed swordsmiths.

Originally Posted by Bruno

If it is not stamped on the razor, imo it is not a tamahagane, no matter what it says on the box. After all, it is easy enough to put a different razor in the box.
With western razor it is common enough to buy them second hand with the wrong box, so the same could be true for Japanese razors.
After all, if it would have been tamahagane, they wouldn't have 'forgotten' to stamp it on the steel, considering that it is a major selling point.

+1, if it is not stamped then it is not Tamahagane.

The "Tamahagane" stamped Daishi and others are made with factory steel nothing, like the traditional tamahagane. Traditional Tamahagane razors are Iwasaki, and other vintage Kamisori. To my knowledge only Iwasaki has made western style traditional Tamahagane razors.

If it was Tamahagane the price of the razor would be the give-away.

Maybe apples and oranges but this thread brings to mind my quest to obtain a Wootz bladed razor. I finally did get one and in the final analysis I got the same shave from 01, Swedish, Solingen or Sheffield steels. I started to 'drink the kool aid' in regard to pursuing a folding Tamahagane but having "been to the big city, and seen the elephant' I decided the grass may always be greener on the other side, but it is still always grass.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Maybe apples and oranges but this thread brings to mind my quest to obtain a Wootz bladed razor. I finally did get one and in the final analysis I got the same shave from 01, Swedish, Solingen or Sheffield steels. I started to 'drink the kool aid' in regard to pursuing a folding Tamahagane but having "been to the big city, and seen the elephant' I decided the grass may always be greener on the other side, but it is still always grass.

I think there in lies the answer. Are we searching for greener grass or to just experience/collect different grasses because they are just that, different. I'm with you when it come to chasing greener grass. But to have a piece of metal that underwent a different process just for the sake of history and experience, that interests me more.