mine was honed to be used on both sides..im workng on mine to be used the same way...like a western razor.
If you do not shave with the kamisori in the traditional manner, you will lose face.
The only way to regain your honor will then be to commit seppuku.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seppuku
Simple as that.
We can now dispense with the constant debate over "right" and "wrong". There is only the correct way, and the way which brings shame to your shave den.
"it seems a bit strange to buy an expensive razor that is very much an expression of tradition in itself, which is then usedin a way that explicitly goes against this tradition. To me it kind of seems as just having a novelty piece in a collection, which is fine. It's yours, you're free to use it any way you want and that gives you good results. But it is kind of like using only one side of a traditional western open razor. Again, if this works for you, knock yourself out.
As Kentos said, they can be made. I'm working on having a few made since I prefer symmetrical grinds. Shaving with a kamisori is neat, like shaving with two different razors. There's no need to use one side only like a couple people suggest, and the "tradition" claim is weak, given that barbers are known to use both sides, and there's been no manual in Japanese put forward, much less one that prescribes omote-only for self-shaving. Go ahead and do an ura-only shave...the ghosts of past kamisori makers won't care.Does anyone know of any hybrids available, razors which have the kamisori-style handle with the western-style blade (symetrical grind)? I'm very new to straight razor shaving (twice so far) but as a newbie this combination just seems like the obvious, best-of-both-worlds way to design a straight razor if one is willing to forego tradition in favor of a better shaving experience.
I use kamisori traditionally and as intended but it's your Kamisori, use it as you wish. When told by people I hone for that they use both sides I adjust my ratios accordingly. Traditional ratios can yield harsh results in certain areas on the face.
Any Japanese sources other than anonymous Japanese barbers indicated by a few non-Japanese folks? Perhaps a barber's manual in Japanese? Are there any written descriptions of tradition regarding self-shaving? Anything to contradict videos of barbers where both sides are used? People like the word tradition, but I am not seeing much evidence of a tradition except according to anonymous second-hand sources.I use kamisori traditionally and as intended but it's your Kamisori, use it as you wish. When told by people I hone for that they use both sides I adjust my ratios accordingly. Traditional ratios can yield harsh results in certain areas on the face.
I don't think anyone was really asking about the angle, though it's incidentally useful for some probably.https://sites.google.com/site/trans...NihonkamisoriMayUpdate.zip?attredirects=0&d=1
Here's a manual for honing from Kousuke Iwasaki's book. Maybe this will help settle any questions people may have.
Section 7- How To Use a Western Razor
In the instructions included with a German "Henckels" razor, it says that when shaving, "hold the
razor almost flat against the face." Something very similar is printed on the front of English
"Haddon" razor boxes.
And in our country, we are taught to hold the razor at a 45 degree angle when shaving. This 45
degree angle, whether it's in relation to the skin or to the hair, is a standing position. In other
countries, the razor is used lying flat.
Since long ago, Kamisori have been used lying flat.
If you try using a razor at a standing angle, the edge will very quickly start to show signs of
damage, and an edge that should shave 200 faces or more will only shave around ten. So if you
think you'd like to preserve your edges as long as possible, keep the blade as flat as you can when
you shave.
Of course, if you haven't put a good edge on the razor, when you lay it flat it won't shave at all, and
you will have to raise the angle. But shaving with an edge like that is a mistake.
Shave any way you want. I like the extra challenge of doing it another way, especially around the lips and under the nose. One of the reasons why I like using a Kami over a western for certain parts.