With trembling hand...

Imagine your hero. I mean, a real person who, for one reason or another, embodies something you hold really important. Someone that you would simply love to sit next to and watch, or listen to, in the hopes of learning a tiny percentile of what they knew.


Now imagine that you were able to contact this person, and that they knew about you and seemed happy to share their time and their vast skills, their knowledge with you. Imagine that they were talking about you with others of their ilk...

How would you feel?

Cause right now, I am freaked OUT.

I love Iwasaki razors. You might not have known that...but I do. I love them for the history of the family, the work and expertise of Kousuke Iwasaki in researching steel, stones and especially razormaking. I love how his son, Shigeyoshi, was recognized for his skill in metalworking and felt that he had fulfilled his father's dream by gaining esteem in Germany, the source of the problems that had led Kousuke down the steel path.



I love that Shigeyoshi found a successor in Ryouichi Mizuochi-san, who cares as much about making the best possible razors he could make as the two Iwasaki men before him.



And it goes without saying that I love the simple but beautiful design of Iwasaki Kamisori, and the amazing shaves I get off of the Iwasaki folding razors.

So, I have been aching to meet these men, Shigeyoshi Iwasaki-san and Ryuichi Mizuochi-san, for as long as I have known about them. Master smiths, making the tools that I love? How could I NOT want to meet them!

And now, it's in sight. I've been in contact with Mizuochi-san, by letter. He's known about me, apparently, for some reason. He has talked about me with Iwasaki-san. They are looking forward to further correspondence. My wife's spoken to Mrs. Mizuochi, for pete's sake! They said they'd be happy to have me visit!

I'M FREAKING OUT MAN!!!