Tosuke Inoue 井上藤助 Kamisori, Osaka, Restored Vintage Japanese Straight Razor, Rattan Handle Wrapping and Handmade Hinoki Wooden Box.

Tosuke Inoue 井上藤助 Kamisori, Osaka, Restored Vintage Japanese Straight Razor, Leather Handle Wrapping and Handmade Hinoki Wooden Box.

Straight razor (Kamisori剃刀), directly imported from Japan and restored by us to a hair-popping quality and sharpness, absolutely shave ready on arrival.
The razor was made in the Showa period (probably early 60s) and has a length of 14,5 cm and width of 1.8 cm, length of cutting edge is 4.5 cm and the weight 28 g.
A Medium sized Kamisori, not too heavy.

Similar to the traditional Samurai sword, this Kamisori was hand forged out of 2 layers, the cutting part is made of high carbon steel and the supporting layer of Iron.
The steel layer is brittle and hard, while the Iron gives the right flexibility.
Both layers are not stainless, so always keep your razor dry after your shave and protect it with a thin layer of oil.

Why is this blade not stainless?
Stainless blades are made of an alloy that will prevent it from staining, but also will make it less hard.
High carbon steels, like the cutting layer of this Kamisori, have a much higher hardness and will keep their smooth shaving quality for much longer before having to sharpen them again.

The blade handle is partially blued by us, to protect it from rusting. Bluing is similar to the protective coat which the razor had after being quenched in the time it has been made. Bluing forms a thin layer of magnetite (Fe3O4) on top of the iron.
After Bluing we have attached a brand Rattan handle wrapping. This high quality Rattan is imported from Japan as well and only 1mm thick. We use a traditional wrapping technique for Kamisori.

The Kanji on the right side reads as:

on the left:
井上 ・Inoue
登録商標 ・toroku shohyo ・ registered trademark
藤助 ・ Tosuke
別撰 ・bessen ・ specially selected)
on the right:
大阪 ・ Osaka (City in Japan)

The blade comes wrapped in red linnen in a handmade Hinoki box.
Hinoki is a Japanese wood used for centuries in the construction of temples and shrines.
Engraved on the lid is an Ukiyo-e woodblock print of Kitagawa Utamaro's "Komurasaki of the Tamaya House After a Bath" Dated around 1795.

This Kamisori is fully disinfected, honed and shave ready.

Also note, in Japan Kamisori are not only used to remove mens beards, they are also commonly used to remove fine facial hair also of women.

To ensure that you will get the razor shave ready we use our own specially made protective Kamisori sheaths. The razor edge will not touch anything during the transport.