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I was intrigued by this offering on the "bay" , and being the sole bidder it is now in my restore box.The grind appears similar to other Sheffields I have but the lack of any other markings ,save on the tang (which I obviously can not translate) leave me dubious. Feel free to educate me.
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I couldn't say, but it sure is a fine looking razor, and definitely resembles an old Sheffield.
Wade & Butcher made a razor with Chinese lettering on the blade not the shank. See Strazors.com ,This "Chinese Razor" was probably made for Chinese-American immigrant market during the 1850s. The symbols on the blade are not part of the Chinese language".
Looks similar but not totally sure.
Good eye. I've done a lot of Kanji tattoos, and now that you mention it, that doesn't look like any genuine characters. OTOH, a couple of them might be, just that I'm not familiar with them. I'm no expert, in spite of the tattooing. Still a nice razor though. Here is one of W&Bs with the bogus kanji ;
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As I understand it ,there are about 2,000 every day , or joyo kanji in use today in Japan. Which is the amount considered adequate to read fluently. I have heard the total to be around 50,000 most of which are obscure,technical or outdated and not known or used by the average man on the street. Still, even 2000 is way too many for this hillbilly to learn.
I have 2 with very similar marking to yours. No other marks but what is on the tang. Both wedges in what I think are Sheffield schools. The round toe is a 7/8 and the spike is 8/8 tapering at the heal to 7/8.
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It could be as I have seen vintage Japanese razors made from Sheffield steel but they are very rare indeed.
Here's one I'm pretty sure is a Sheffield razor. it definitely has the looks of one! This one has the same exact markings a Joseph Elliot I have has on it.
