Our Story

Once upon a time…really around the end of 2020, during one of the many COVID pandemic lockdowns, we were sipping on a beer while discussing the true meaning of life and what kind of work we would really enjoy. It was a true “what things interest us and spark joy” kind of discussion that true friends do have from time to time. We came to the conclusion that it is the work of a craftsman that seems deeply rooted in both of us and that working with our hands sparks the joy that we were somehow looking for.  

Having lived in the UK for some years, Peter was well informed and interested in British barber traditions and the kind of gentleman culture that revolves around it. A long tradition that embraces the ritual of the everyday-shaving by making more of it than just a dull necessity. We talked along and compared this to Japanese traditions, since Patrick is a true japanophile and seriously interested in Japanese culture. It wasn’t long before we stumbled across Japanese razors and how they were traditionally used. 

Peter did not know about Japanese razors back then and Patrick had only heard and read about them. But we decided to take the dive into a new project and buy some old rusty Japanese razors, called Kamisori. We were hooked and desperate to find out what this “Kamisori thing” is all about. Early in 2021 we finally managed to lay our hands on the first stained pieces of hand forged Japanese razors with old, barely readable Japanese Kanji hammered into the metal. Peter already knew how to sharpen his western style razors and thought it would be worth a try to sharpen these old pieces. He managed to sharpen a first Kamisori and was instantly blown away by the close shave this razor was able to deliver. 

We thought, It would be a good idea to find out what was written on the knifes to get behind their story and to know more about the craftsmen that forged these little gems. So Patrick, capable of reading some japanese, started on a long and interesting research journey. 

We also realised that we somehow needed to protect the pristine edge of the razor and what would be better than to build a wooden box in the style in which Japanese tea cups or other precious items would be protected. Since Patrick has a strong background in carpentry/woodworking with traditional japanese hand tools he started sawing and planing the first box for the freshly honed kamisori that Peter had just finished. And wow - What a match! The razor and the box simply looked fabulous together - but looking at the razor in the box we still knew that there was something missing. So after some brainstorming we decided that it would be nice to add a laser engraving of an old Japanese woodblock print to the lid of the box. And man - it looked beautiful. This was the true experience you only get as a craftsman - this deeply satisfying feeling when you look at your finished job and you see that everything is perfect - similar to what the blacksmiths might have felt after creating the Kamisoris in the first place. So there was it - there was the feeling and the satisfaction that we were looking for in our initial discussion.

Anyway - to cut the story short, we thought that what we just created might be also loved by others. That is how it all started and from that time onwards we do everything to be better in restoring these long-time neglected gems and give them a second life - from now on in their beautiful, handmade artisan boxes - so they can be treated with respect, used and loved again.

Peter and Patrick