TAMAHAGANE High-end Straight Razor: IWASAKI-SANJOU Price: US $
4,200.00 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWPY_8Xj4Y8TAMAHAGANE Japanese straight razor "Iwasaki - Sanjou Works"
The razor of Iwasaki was made by Sanjou Works in Nigata Prefecture, was the world-famous blacksmith. The brand name is attached to “Iwasaki” from last name of Mr. Iwasaki who is blacksmith. The material of Tamahagane is a type of Japanese steel, which is called . "jewel steel", and is very rare in Japan now among the cutlery Iwasaki. There is the cultural value that you may display in a museum after knowing the history of the Japanese knife. The first craftsman of Iwasaki Engineering Works is Kosuke Iwasaki who is famous for the study of Tamahagane. The second generation is Shigeyoshi Iwasaki, but he has already retired himself from the making of razor for advanced age. I think that such the gem is not available in the future either.
The Japanese straight razor has a 1450 year history. This history began with its use in a ceremony for shaving the heads of Buddhist monks. In the middle ages in Japan it was used to shave the heads of the samurai. The razor has long been considered a sacred item and commanded a high price. A Japanese straight razor is made by bonding steel to soft iron. Depending on the size of the blade they are called Hanchou-gake, Itchou-gake or Nichou-gake. Then smallest blade or Hanchou-gake was used to shave women's faces. This Japanese straight razor is made of Tamahagane steel. The Tamahagane steel is made from iron sand from the Izumo Area (Tottori and Shimane Prefectures) and is specialty steel used from Ancient Japan. In modern times Tamahagane steel cannot be found on the market. They are very rare and valuable.
This razor is new and not yet sharpened. Some collectors want new razors. Therefore, this Razor is not sharpened yet. Depending on your request, I can have this Razor sharpened. However, I recommend that you purchase this new razor before it is sharpened. I recommend this razor to collectors of ornamental razors.
This razor came paper-wrapped in a yellow nylon cover. The wrapping paper also serves as a quality certificate. These accessories being important parts for collectors,we present them in an acrylic frame,with two screws with which to keep it erect. The razor is kept in a Japanese traditional paulownia box,a top-notch craft from a Tokyo shop of long standing.
So the shipping is consisted of the razor,the yellow nylon cover,the wrapping paper-certificate,the acrylic frame,the two screws and the paulownia box.
Let me inform you that shipping of this artilce will take several days. After you payed via paypal, four to five business days are required to transfer your money to the bank in Japan. I will ship the article via EMS right after I confirm the receipt of money. The charge includes the insurance for the shipping, so should any trouble happen, it will cover any extra expense. I am sorry to say this. But for this merchandise we are unable to accept return of the item for any reason. I advise you not to bid if you are not sure on the basis of photographs and drawings. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
KIYOTSUNA Sharpening service
| Special blade sharpening service by a trained professional craftsman at Kiyotsuna blacksmith shop. Kiyotsuna craftsman is also available in high quality. This service costs additionally $30 to bidding price, and requires approx. 4-6 days to finish. If required, please inform me after winning this auction. Invoice showing a total of the above $30 plus shipping fee will be sent you soon. |
ORIGIN : Made in Japan
STYLE : Itchou-gake
AGE : Mid 20th Century CONDITION : This razor is new and not yet sharpened. Relatively good condition-very tiny rust on the surface only. SIZE :
Overall length 150 mm, 5.90" Blade length 45 mm, 1.77" Blade width 19 mm, 0.74" Blade thickness 5 mm, 0.19" Weight 35g | |
ACCESSORIES : Yellow nylon cover,Wrapping paper-certificate,Acrylic frame,Two screws,Paulownia
| On the wrapping paper for the razor, you will find explanations about the razor-making process and the product in the right column, the brand name and "inspected" in red, certifying the product quality in the middle column, and the sharpening instruction in the left column. The numbers on the photograph are for the following translation in English.
[1] Japanese sword of ultimately excellent quality, made of world-best Japanese sword material, “Tamahagane”, swordsmithed with the mysteries, in combinations of scientific examinations on microscopic steel grains and hardness. The hardness can be adjusted per customer’s request, softer, medium, hard. Please select one of the three choices. [2] Registered trademark / Brand mark: Maru - san [3] Tamahagane Japanese razor [4] Inspected [5] Sanjou Works / Made in Iwasaki [6] whetting procedure 1.abrasive grain from fine to extremely fine. 2.whet strongly at beginning then softer. Only the sword weight is enough at the end. 3.movement span of the sword gradually shorter. 4.time for whetting (repeat in several times) longer to the finish. 5.strop gently and softly. The sharpness of the sword is very much dependent on the whetting procedure. Please follow the five mentioned rules to create a sharp blade. We continue to investigate on fabrication of the swords to meet your satisfaction. |