Takami・たかみ・New Kamisori

This Kamisori is traditionally laminated from two different steels, following established Japanese razor-making practice. The cutting edge is forged from high-carbon White Paper Steel No. 1 (Shirogami #1); the supporting layer from extra-low-carbon soft steel. This combination allows the blade to reach exceptional hardness and edge refinement at the cutting edge, while the softer backing provides stability, resilience, and ease of maintenance.

Mr. Amano primarily uses Hitachi Yasugi White Paper Steel No. 1, sourced from material produced around the 1990s. By default, the supporting steel is extra-low-carbon soft steel; alternative materials such as traditional Japanese iron are available by special order.

Both steels are non-stainless. Carbon steels are chosen for edge refinement and hardness — qualities stainless alloys cannot match — and require routine drying and a thin film of oil after use to prevent oxidation. White Paper Steel No. 1 is valued for its ability to take an exceptionally smooth shaving edge and hold it over extended use before resharpening is required.


On the Final Edge

Mr. Amano shapes and sharpens each Kamisori in his workshop in Kōchi. The geometry is set, the edge is formed. What remains is the final refinement on flat Japanese waterstones — a stage traditionally left to the barber, who matched the edge to his own hand, angle, and strop. Without this step, the blade will cut, but not in the way a Kamisori is meant to cut.

We complete this final refinement in our atelier. The edge is set on a progression of natural Japanese whetstones, refined on Mikawa Nagura, and finished on linen and leather. The razor arrives not merely sharp, but shave-ready in the precise sense — smooth, stable, ready to meet skin without further preparation.


Presentation

The razor is supplied in a traditional sliding-lid box, signed by Mr. Amano.


Blade Engravings

白一 (Shiro Ichi) — White Paper Steel No. 1
丸に天 (Maru ni Ten) — the Takami mark: Ten (天, meaning heaven / sky) within a circle
天水作 (Tensui Saku) — Made by Tensui

Tensui is the smith's art name; the razors are sold under the Takami name. Mr. Amano works in Kōchi Prefecture, on the Pacific coast of Shikoku — historically known as Tosa Province.


About the Maker

Mr. Amano began his career as a blacksmith around 1994, training in Kōchi Prefecture under Keiichiro Tsutsui and Toshimune Tsutsui, with primary guidance from Mr. Keiichiro Tsutsui. He began producing Japanese razors around 2010.

Notably, he did not learn Kamisori-making through a formal master–apprentice lineage; his razors have evolved through direct response to customer feedback, refined over time by practical use and demand.

Today, Mr. Amano forges each blade alone in his private workshop overlooking a small coastal city on the Pacific Ocean. Removed from modern distractions, he works with complete focus, producing razors defined by material honesty, restraint, and quiet strength.

Steel/鋼: White paper steel #1・白紙鋼1号
Jigane/地金: low carbon soft steel.
Box: Paulownia tomentosa wood

Length: 16.9 cm
Head width: 2.9 cm
Length of cutting edge: 5.5
Weight 51.9 g
this is a handforged Kamisori, slight variations of these numbers are normal