Tosuke Inoue 井上藤助, Restored Vintage Japanese Straight Razor, Golden Kanji, with new Leather Handle Wrapping and Handmade Hinoki Wood Box

Tosuke Inoue 井上藤助  straight razor (Kamisori)! Directly imported from Japan and restored by us to a hair-popping quality and sharpness.
The razor was made in the Showa period (approximately in the 1970's) and has a length of 15.4 cm, width of 1.9 cm, length of cutting edge is 4.7 cm and the weight is 32 g.
A Medium Sized Kamisori.

This razor was hand forged out of one layer of high carbon steel.
High carbon steel is 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 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 new leather handle wrapping with a red linnen inlay.

The Kanji / Katakana on Kamisori read as:
藤助 ・Inoue ・the maker of this Kamisori

The blade comes wrapped in red linnen in a handmade box.
The box is handcrafted by us out of imported Japanese Hinoki wood.
A wood that is used for centuries in Japan to built temples and shrines.

Engraved on the lid is an Ukiyo-e woodblock print of Utamaro Kitagawas's "Two Women" from around 1790

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.

The razor comes with a free protective sheath, that will prevent the razor edge to touch anything during transport.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.