Nazi Japanese 6/8 Straight

fizog

fizog

Joined
Thursday February 27, 2014
Location
Shap, Cumbria
This has no doubt been on this forum before but this is an unusual razor, in that it sports a Swastika and Storm Trooper Helmet yet is from Japan.

It's a nice razor at 6/8 half hollow and made from Best Tamako Steel!

It must have been fashionable in the 30's & 40's I guess.

IMG_0778_zpsc264f7fa.jpg


IMG_0779_zpse44fa84f.jpg


IMG_0781_zps1660f8f5.jpg


Seasons Greetings shavers!!

Steve
 
Re: RE: Nazi Japanese 6/8 Straight

fizog said:
BraveBlades said:
Tempted yet I find myself with cold shivers ever putting something with those markings to my throat. Maybe it's just me. Good luck with the sale Steve.
Click to expand...

Now who said it was for sale? ;-)
Click to expand...
Wow. You're right. That's what I get for lazy browsing. Interesting razor Steve. Not my cup of tea. But still interesting.
 
Well the Germans and the Japanese were allies after all, there are plenty of German Japanese Razor collaborations only today I used my vintage Japanese Three Kings even though that razor was made and produced in Japan the razor itself is everything barring the name a Wushtof Barber King, even the paper guarantee it came with has the Wushtuf Trident. Still Steve that's a nice razor and the Swastika must make it more collectible.

 
That may not necessarily be a Nazi-inspired razor.

The helmet shape looks more like a stylized Samuari helmet (Kabuto) to me (although there are design similarities with both).

The swastika symbol is known in Japan as a Manji and has been associated with Japanese Buddhism (as a positive symbol of good luck) in both standard and reversed forms for hundreds of years.

It doesn't follow that any razor imbued with this symbol may have been made with the intention of it being a piece of Nazi propaganda. Indeed there is a picture of a Coca-Cola advert dating from the 1920's contained in this link (along with a brief discussion of the use of the Manji in Japan): http://www.japanese-buddhism.com/swastika.html

It may not, therefore, be as sinister a razor as it appears to be at first glance. :)
 
I always associate the swatika used in Germany being contained in a circle. I have a book of Rudyard Kipling's collected poetry dating from the early years of the 20th century and was, initially, very surpised to see what I thought was a nazi symbol on the first page. I don't know why it's there other than the association with hinduism referred to in the link earlier.

I would think that the explanation above is more likely than a nazi association - after all, the Japanese looked down on the Germans just as much as any other European nation at the time.
 
ajc347 said:
That may not necessarily be a Nazi-inspired razor.

The helmet shape looks more like a stylized Samuari helmet (Kabuto) to me (although there are design similarities with both).

The swastika symbol is known in Japan as a Manji and has been associated with Japanese Buddhism (as a positive symbol of good luck) in both standard and reversed forms for hundreds of years.

It doesn't follow that any razor imbued with this symbol may have been made with the intention of it being a piece of Nazi propaganda. Indeed there is a picture of a Coca-Cola advert dating from the 1920's contained in this link (along with a brief discussion of the use of the Manji in Japan): http://www.japanese-buddhism.com/swastika.html

It may not, therefore, be as sinister a razor as it appears to be at first glance. :)
Click to expand...

Many thanks for this. I'm very fond of a Samuari / Buddhist inspired razor and not at all fond of anything fascist.

Steve
 
fizog said:
ajc347 said:
That may not necessarily be a Nazi-inspired razor.

The helmet shape looks more like a stylized Samuari helmet (Kabuto) to me (although there are design similarities with both).

The swastika symbol is known in Japan as a Manji and has been associated with Japanese Buddhism (as a positive symbol of good luck) in both standard and reversed forms for hundreds of years.

It doesn't follow that any razor imbued with this symbol may have been made with the intention of it being a piece of Nazi propaganda. Indeed there is a picture of a Coca-Cola advert dating from the 1920's contained in this link (along with a brief discussion of the use of the Manji in Japan): http://www.japanese-buddhism.com/swastika.html

It may not, therefore, be as sinister a razor as it appears to be at first glance. :)
Click to expand...

Many thanks for this. I'm very fond of a Samuari / Buddhist inspired razor and not at all fond of anything fascist.

Steve
Click to expand...

Steve,

Yet again, a beautiful razor!

Sorry to throw a spanner into the works, but I thought that I ought to point out that during the 1920's -1945, Buddhism wasn't highly regarded in Japan. The practice of Buddhism suffered during the time, as the official religion, Shinto became very popular. Shintoism was viewed as being more Japanese than Zen (which was a Chinese import, albeit many centuries ago).

I personally think that it is unlikely that the razor bears a Buddhist emblem. It is probably a testament to the rising power in Germany.

The hooked cross is ancient and found in many ancient cultures. It is considered very lucky, and except for a brief decade, was only used as a benevolent and benign symbol.



Huw
 
Both the swastika and the star of David were around for centuries in various eastern belief systems as symbols of light and/or purity. Ironic that Judaism adopted the star due to its similarity to a shield & the swastika.... Well.
 
Guys I don't think this is a swastika (the German helmet throws me on this point though) we use something similar in Hinduism to signify 'Ganesh' (elephant god).

The symbol on the razor is not angled (swastika) but straight as the Hindu symbolism. Also the shape resembles the Hindu symbol as opposed to the swastika.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Swastika+and+Hindu+Ganesh+symbol&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=YsKhVIuDIuqf7gbQ74D4Dg&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=360&bih=511#facrc=_&imgrc=CcaZCt5t0_icWM%253A%3Bh5Fc2nHg5rpNEM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.indianetzone.com%252Fphotos_gallery%252F77%252FSwastika.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.indianetzone.com%252F24%252Fswastika.htm%3B281%3B307
 
A swastika as used for the past several thousand years has a + as basis. Das Hakenkreuz as used by the nazis has an x as basis: the swastika rotated by 45°.
On the razor you show the swastika seems based on a +, so that would suggest it is not-nazi related.

Edit: you beat me to it Nishy.
 
efsk said:
A swastika as used for the past several thousand years has a + as basis. Das Hakenkreuz as used by the nazis has an x as basis: the swastika rotated by 45°.
On the razor you show the swastika seems based on a +, so that would suggest it is not-nazi related.

Edit: you beat me to it Nishy.
Click to expand...
You explained it better though! Further to this as a Hindu symbol it would have dots in each quadrant which this does not have so I'm veering towards far eastern as well but could be wrong.
 
The svastika is several thousands of years old. The familiar term comes from Sanskrit: sv (good, lucky, auspicious), asti (to be), ka (little thing, trinket). A good luck charm. Orientalism was a century long fad in Germany merged with Aryan invasion theory of Rosenberg and Himler. I understand the Nazi symbol pointed clockwise as in the photo but also diagonal (X), except on Hiltler's personal standard or at sea. It's also odd that a Japanese and/or German blade would contain the language of the enemy.

Maybe the combination of a helmet and good luck charm symbolises "protection".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom