Lovely razor!! I have a couple Yasuki Steel kamisori and even used and finally correctly honed to they are awesome shavers. It is a different steel to hone. And you will notice a difference in it from other Japanese and other sourced steels. In a way it reminds me of the best of the late 1800s Sheffield Quality as far as my honing experience goes. Make haste slowly honing the prize! You can really over hone and cause spine wear and wide bevel quickly!
YMMV as to the final temper of the the steel and its honing qualities.
Again, a beautiful blade!
~Richard
Yasuki Steel is a product made from the same black sand as the original Tamahagane:
Yasuki Hagane
Yasuki Hagane was developed by Hitachi Metal, Ltd. This is the raw material used to make premium Japanese knives. The name Yasuki comes from the city Yasugi, where Hitachi Metal factory was founded.
Hitachi Metal, Ltd., continues to use the tradition of refining the steel ball called Tamahagane. The iron sand used to produce Tamahagane is mainly found in Chugoku province in Japan.
Tatara
Tatara is a traditional Japanese clay furnace used for smelting iron and steel. Tatara is what differentiates Yasuki from other metals that were mass-produced. The main materials created from Yasuki are; Gi-gami, Shiro-gami/ Shiro-ko and Ao-ko/ Ao-gami.
Blade Steels | Japan Blades
PDF of the steel specifications:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...76943099,d.eXY