The Japanese Straight Razor - Kamisori

What is a Kamisori?

A Kamisori (日本剃刀) is a traditional Japanese straight razor that is used for shaving. It is a single-edged razor that is handcrafted by skilled artisans using traditional techniques.

The blade is usually made from two layers of metal: high carbon steel (Hagane) and wrought iron (Jigane). The combination of these materials creates a blade that is both sharp and durable. The layer of Jigane has a number of advantages: - The steel can not harden in the quenching process because it has not enough carbon included, as a result the Jigane stays flexible and soft.

When honing a Kamisori this has another advantage, the Omote Side ( the side without engravings) is honed more than the Ura side (the side with engravings) resulting in an easier honing process.

The handle is typically wrapped with rattan, cotton, leather or silk thread, and sometimes covered with urushi lacquer to provide a comfortable grip during use.

Kamisoris traditionally have a asymetrical grind. Which needs some getting used to it, as the angles on Omote or Ura side for the perfect shave are a bit different. 

Parts of a Kamisori

The below picture shows the parts of a Kamisori. It depicts a version of Kamisori that is produced since around the 1940's. Earlier versions of the Kamisori have a much longer Head and lack the Machimoto. The Machimoto is an invention out of necessity. When honing Kamisoris over time you will reduce the blades thickness and eventually end up grinding into the Komi or Tang. To prevent this the Machimoto is grind into the tang. when laying on a honing stone this will prevent the Komi touching the Honing stone.

How to take care of your Kamisori

Kamisoris are made of High Carbon steels and wrought Iron, Both are not stainless, which means that if kept in a wet place they will rust, which may destroy your razor.

To avoid this, please take care for your Kamisori razor.

Basic Care:

• We recommend wiping the Kamisori clean and dry with a soft towel or fabric after each use and storing it in a dry place
• put some non-resinous oil (i.e. camellia oil) on the surface. a drop or wiping it with an oiled towel are enough. Don`t drench it.
• Stropping it on a normal leatherstrop or even a more luxurious Cordovan Strop before each use is mandatory and will keep it shave ready for a long time. 

Preventive Maintenance 

After a while stropping the kamisori may not be enough any more to get it sharp. Stropping can also be lightly abrasive but can not remove nicks other heavier wear on the blade. Other steps are needed for maintenance

• Use of abrasive compounds or pastes like diamond paste or diamond oil suspensions are more abrasive and can be used on a variety of surfaces. Feltstrops, linnenstrops, or leather strops. - we recommend using a different strop with the compound and not the finishing leather strop. When stropping use trailing motions, the cutting edge trails the spine, put the Head flat on the strop. Do not use suede leather strops.
• When pastes and suspensions are also not leading to the wished success hone your Kamisori a bit on a very fine waterstone. We are talking about over 10,000 grit. You may use artificial stones like this 16.000 grit Shapton Stone Artificial stones give a quicker result than natural stones and are less pricy. however Kamisori enthusiasts swear on Japanese Natural stones, however for the start we recommend getting one artificial stone first.
• sharpen the stone on the very fine level in a 1:1 ratio if you need to remove more material ( cracks or chipping) move to a 7:3 or even 10:1 ratio. 10 stands for the Omote Side of the Kamisori and means you do  10 strokes on that side and 1 stroke on the Ura side. It is essential to work perfectly flat, do not try to put an angle on the kamisori. A Kamisori is no knife. the whole head needs to touch the stone. put light pressure closer to the cutting edge and push towards the edge.  
• Make sure your stone stays flat. over time it may occur that your stones gets worn out in some spots, this can result in difficulties to sharpen your Kamisori. A lapping plate will be necessary to even the sharpening stone again. Buying this plate is something for when you have used the stone very often so it is not necessary to get this from the start.
  

IF UNSURE - Please always contact us before you start trying to hone your Kamisori by yourself. It is easy to remove material but there is no way to attach it again.