History and Culture of Shaving in Japan

This Book is Written by Mr. Yasuoki Takechi, President of Sanpo SHOJI K.K. (Sanpo Trading Co.) One of the Leading Distributors of Shaving Razors Ann d HouseHold Cutley. Almost 30 Years Have Passed Since He Joined The Company as a Salesman for Razors and Blades. Naturally He has taken a keen interesting antique ring antique razors and increasing His Knowledge of Shaving, Tools and Techniques. SANPO SHOJI CELEBRATES ITS 55th Anniversary This Year During the past yours.

IN His Busy Daily Life He WOULD SOMETIMES WONDER WHEN THEN THE CUSTOM OF SHAVING BEARDS BEGAN Hapter 1 HE GIVES US A CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL EXPLANATION OF SHAVELOPMENT OF SHAVING TOOLS and TECHNIQUES THROUGH THE THE THE THE AGES.

It's Is Interesting To the Origin of Shaving Goes Back to the Paleolithic age (about 20,000 years ago). H As Shells with Pointed Edges, Broken Pieces of Volcanics and Shark's Teeth Were Found, THESE ARE CONSIDERED To Have BeeN USED AS Shaving IMPLEMENTS. In The Bronze Age (about 3,500 years ago) The Prototype of A Razor Had Alredy BeeN Made in Egypt. In The Medieva. L Ages Growing a Beard Became Fashionable in English.

THE JAPANESE LIKE TO GROW BEARDS. The Kamisori (Razor) CAME TO JAPAN from the Introduction of the Introduction of the Introduction of the Introduction of the Asuka Era (552-645). CRED TONSURING TOOL USED by BUDDHISTS.

Razors WERE IMPROVED IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE 19THE CENTURY. AlTHOUGH QUITE A FEW ATTEMPTS HAD BEEN MADE TO DEVELOP A RAZOR THAT WAS SAFE, THIS WAS FINALLY AC Complied in 1904 by Mr. King C, Gillette with the Help of Mr. WiLLIAM NICKERSON, A Professor at MassachusetTTS of Technology. Initially The Razor Achiedwide Expansion Wheat Was Designated as A War Suppry and The UNITATED Government Procured 3.5 Million Razors and 36 Million Spare Blades. Thus Gillette Safety Razors Were Taken Abroad to Many Foreign Countries by American Mili Tary Personnel. THEN IN 1921 Mr. Jacob School, Veteran Colonel of the United States Army Invented The Single-Edge Injector Safety Razor. IN 1931 INLSO INVENTED RAZOR S DriveN by Small El Electronic Motors, THESE ARE CONSIDERED to BE THE PRESENT ELECTRIC SHAVERS.

IN 1952 THERE WAS A Remarkable Innovation in The Material for Razor Blades. Until Razor Blades Had BEEN MADE WITH CARBON STEEL, But theSe Carbon Ste El Blades WERE SOON REPLACED with The Introduction of Stainless Steel Blades. The Stainless Steel Manufacturing Razor Blades is now tradition in Japan by Hitachi Metal Company. Their Stainless Steel Hoops Are Supplied to Major Razor Manufactures Worldwide. Tells. Us How Hitachi's Yasugi Steel is Made and Processed Into Steel Hoops Rear Razor Blade Production.

Chapter 1 Closes with an Explanation of Why the Kamisori Club, Shaving Culture Culture Was Opened in 1989.

Chapter 2 GIVES US A More Detailed Explanation of the Razor Markets Developments in Japan. However, In The Latter Part of the Meiji Era Foreign Made Razors Came Into Japan with the Introduction Of Western Civilization. Some from Solingen in Germany and Others from Sheffield in England. After World War1 (1914-1918) Gillette T-SHAPE SAFETY RAZORS W ERE Imported and they Gradually Replaced The Open Razors. Two Germany Pows Staying in Japan Making Safety , And Were Suceyeded by nihon anzen kyogyo k.k. (Japan Safety Razor Industries, Later Changed to Feaster Anzen Kamisori K.K.- Feather Safet Y Razor Company).

The ONSET OF THE CHINA INCIDENT IN 1937 LED JAPAN TO WAR in The Pacific and World War 2. IN 1940 The JapanSe Government Banned Not ONLY THE IIPORT OF RAZORS B Ut ALSO The Production of Open Razors. However the Production of Safety Razors Was Excluded from This Ban. THEREFORE FEATHER WAS ABLE TO Monopolize The Market and the Market Share Reached 80%.

Following The End of the Japanese Economy Was Recovering Quite Rapidly The JAPIDLY THE BAN OFTED THE BAN OFRSORS. THE IMPO. THE IMPO. RT OF Spare Blades Was Liberalized 2 Year Later and Foreign Razor Manufactures Simultaneously Entered The Japanese Market. TTORI As Their Import Agent and Hattori Appointed Sanpo as the Sales agent. England Had Been Replaced by Muller or Maruzen as the IMPORT AGENT. THEM "YUSEN GAKA" (A Kind of Import License) Which Could Only Be Obtated at a Premium. Maruzen Succeeded in Becoming The Import Agent and Sanpo Vecam e THE SALES FOR GILLETTE IN Addition to ScHICK AND FEATHER. Schick Had Introduced Their Single-Edge Injector Razors as as a Prestigious Gift Item, Which Sold VERY WELL.

In 1964 Wilkinson Changed the IMPORT AGENTS from DODWELL TO LION. THEN in 1969 American Safety Was Repressented by Kao. Competition Among Domestic An d Foreign Manufactures Was Accelerated. During The Period of 1965-1970 SCHICK Increased Their Market Share from 4.7% to 25% ON The Other Hand Share of Gillette and Feather Dropped from 9.4% to 8.1% and from 72.7% to 42.7% Respective.

THERE ARE SEVERAL REASONS THAT ACCOUNT FOR SCHICK'S Increased Sales. Schick AggressiveLES OUTLETS BY CONFERRING WITH HATTORI ANPO. THEY INTRODUCED THEIR STEEL BLADEL BLADES ONE STEP AHEAD OTHER MANUFACTURS. They Also Invested a Substantial Amount of Money To Carry Out a Large Large Large Large Large Large. Scale Campaign.

Gillette Failed to Increase Their Sales Because The Were Putting Too Much Confidence in the Sales of Their Double-EDGE T-SHAPE RAZORS AND CARBON STEEL BLADE S. They Also Expanded the Distribution System by Increasing The Number of Wholesalers to 150 Which Disapporales of their EXisting Wholesalers . Feather Had BeeN ENJOYING A SUCCESSFUL Business and Failed to ForeSee The New Market Trends.

The 5 years from 1971 to 1975 COULD BE TERMED AS THE “FIRST STAGE OF SHAPE COMPETITION”. In The Meantime Eversharp ScHICK HAD BEENMERGED INTO WARNER-LAMBERT , NEVERTHELESS THEY DID NOT CHANGE THE DISTRIBUTION Network Firmly Set Up by Hattori and Sanpo. in 1971 Gillette Tried to Recover Market Share by Introducing the Twin-Blade GⅡ Razor. Schick WERE Also Also. RNER-LAMBERT TOKYO OFFICE TOOK EVERY GⅡ, And some encceeded. Dropped Due to the Decreasing Demand for Both Double-Edge T-Shape Razors. ONLY SCHICKET SHICET SHARE INCREASED from 37.6% to 59.17%.

The 5 years from 1976 to 1980 COULD BE TERMED AS THE “Second Stage of Share Competition”. m 63.6% to 69.8%. On the Other Hand The Market Share for Gillette, Feater and Wilkinson Dropped by more or less 2%. In Fact Schick Surpassed Other Manufactures IN Every Category. The Market Remaineded Quite Until 1975 D with their Disposable Razors. This Re-Activated The Market. in 1990 Gillette Introduced Their New Twin-Blade “Sensor” Razor, Annovation of HighLy Sophisticated Technology. THEN IN 1991 SCHICK Introduced The Equally Innovative “FX” Razor. DICTW WILL BE NEXT in The Market with a New Razor.

CHAPTER INS THE HISTORY OF SANPO SHOJI K.K. STARTING with The Success of Mr. Kinzo WHO BEGAN HIS CAREER AS A Clerk in A Silk Exporting Company in Yo. Kohama. It was in the midst of the workd depth that has started in 1925. Silk Had Been ONE OF THE STAPLE PRODUCTS OF JAPAN, But New Artificial Fibers Such as Rayon and NYLON THAD BEENTED.

IN 1932 He Joined a Wholesale Company Where He First Took a Business Interest In Razors. In 1939, at The Age of 25, He Started His Own Company .K., But Could Not Continue Due to the Entering of Japan Into World War 2 And the SubseQuent Ban by The Japan Subernment On the IMPORT AND PRODUCTION OF RAZORS.

After the War, in 1945, He Re-Started Takechi Shoji K.K., IN49 He Reorganized and Changed the name to Sanpo K.K. to Cope with the EXPANDING Business. In that Same -Sanpo SHOJI WAS Appointed as the Sales agent for feature Safety Razor Company.

The Import Ban Was Lifted in 1960 for Razor Holders, and in 1962, for the Spare Blades, Foreign Manufacturers Approached The Japanese Market. EverSha. RP Schick Appointed Hattori TOKEITEN (Now Hattori Seiko) as the Import Agent. The Agency for ASR (American Safety Razor) Was GiveN to Kao and That of Wilkinson To Lion. At Time A Yusen Gaika (IMPORT LICENSE) war To Import Merchandise. Mr.Takeuchi Closely Cooperated with Hattori and Maruzen and Offered THEM The yussen gaika thath Had Obtated at a Costly PREMIUM. This enabled Sanpo to Become The Sales Egent for Both Both Schick and Gillette in Addition to Father .

Mr. Kinzo Takechi's EnthusiaSm and Sincerity Won The Confidence of Both Both Both Customers and The Main Reason Reason Reason Why Sanpo Were Ampo Were Ampo The Sle ALES AGENT FOR THE THREE MAJOR MANUFACTURS.

IN 1966 The Author DecideDed to Join Sanpo SHOJI ASSISSTANT TO HIS FATHER AFTER AFTER AFTER AFTER GRADUADUATING FROM ST.PAUL UNIVERSITY IN TOKYO. SE Economy Entered The Period of High Growth. As A Beginning He Organized a Planning Depultment and Worked Hard To Build Up a NationalTriibitation Network in Order to Cope with the Future Expansion of The Market. Branch OfficeS or Sales Depots in Each Area. Currently The Total Number of Branch OfficeS Has IncreaseD to 28 Covering Almost 8,000 outlets.

Allthough Japan Supermarkets WERE STILLE IN THEIR CRADLE HEARS HE FORESAW THEIR POTENTIAL. After Conferring with School. l Sales Department and Started, the Sales of Schick Injectors and Stainless Steel Blades To ITO YOKADO, SEIYU and NICHII. THESE WERE The THREE MAJOR Supermarket Chains of This Period in Japan. Mr. Yasuoki Takechi Looked to Change The Razors WERE DISPLAYED in THE STORES and ENCOUR Aged the Supermarkets to Adopt A New Style of 'Shaving Specific Areas' In The Stores in Prominent Areas Such as Close to the checkout Tills this the popularity of school.

IN 1970 EVERSHARP SCHICK WAS MERGED INTO Warner-Lambert. The Sales Policy That Had BeeN Set Up by Eversharp ScHICK WAS NOT CHANGED and THE DISTRIBUTION WAS L L EFT to Hattori, Sanpo and Four Other Primary Wholesalers.

ON The Other Hand, Gillette Opened An Office in Tokyo in 1969 and Canceled Theiled The Agency Agreement with Maruzen. OLELY WITH PRIMARY WHOLESALERS, GILLETTE THENDED THEIR DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM by Number of Wholesalers to 150. In 1974 Gillette Reorganized the Distribution Channels by the Number of Wholesalers to 33. The Inconsistency of their policies Caused Distrustt Amongst Amongst. THEIR WHOLESALERS.

Until 1980 SCHICK'S MARKET SHARE INCREASED WHEREAS THE FEATHER, Gillette and Wilket Shares Had DecreaseD. THIS COULD That School Injector Razors Had BeeN Selling Well and Also THEY HAD Introduced Their Stainless Steel Steel Steel BLADES EARLIS THAN OTHER MANUFACTURES.

Moreover, Schick Management, Having A Good Understanding of the JapanSE Character and Commermercial Practice, Utilized Traditional Distriaction Routes O Rchannels.

Kao Failed to Sell “KAO PERSONA” THEIR TOILETRY ARTICLE OUTLETS. THIS RAZOR WAS THE PRODUCT OF AMERICAN SAFETY RAZOR and HAD BEEND BEEN IMPORTED THRR OUGH MITSUI Bussan. In 1972 Mitsui Approached the Author and ASKED HIM TO TAKE OVER TAKE THEIR INVENTORY OF 2 Million Pieces of “KAO PERSONA” Blades, Which He ACCEPTED ASED ASED AS CUTTING BLADES FOR HAIR HAIR HAIR HAIR HAIR TRIMMERS THAT SANPO WERE SELLING. THIS LED SANPO TO BUSINESS WITH ASR ASR ASR ANPO B Egan Handling ASR "Flicker" Razors for Ladies. Later in 1986 He was Visited by MR .Wilder L.D. Wilder, The Vice Governor of Virginia in The United States. Mr. Wilder Told HE HAD BEEN RECOMMENDEDED TO VISIT SANPO by ASR and EXPLAINE d thathe Was The Salesman for the State of Virginia. The Author Was Very Much IMPRESSED WITH The Warm and Frank Attitudes of Mr. Wilder.

IN 1984 The Author Became President of Sanpo SHOJI and ATS ATS AFFILIATED COMPANIES SUCCEEDING HIS FATHER, NOW CHAIRMAN OF THE COMPANY. In 1987 Of the Import Promoting Committee of the Wholesalers Association at the Request of the Ministry of International Trade Trade and Industry.

Chapterⅳ Covers The Impenging Problems and the Author's Visions of the Future. ON OCTOBER 12, 1993 Mr. Guilette of Gillette JAPAN VISITED HIMPO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO TO Advise Him in Writing THEY WOULD STOP DEALING WITH SANPO ass of November 30, 1993. SANPO Had BEEN Handling Gillette Products for the Past 30 years and Sold about 40% of Gillette's Annual Sales in Japan. oo Abrupt and Was Contrary to the USUAL COMMERCIAL PRACTICE in JAPAN. THEREFORE, TO PROTECT THE Interest of Sanpo, LEGAL ACTION HAD TO BE TAKEN.

In 1993 Warner-Lambert Bout to the Right to Sell Wilkinson Razors in EUROPE. TTER KNOWN AS SuPPliers of Halls, Clorets and Listerine. It is Evident That Warner-Lambert OR SCHICK ARE GOING to Develop The European Razor Market Encouraged by Their Success in Japan and Other Soustheast asian Countries.

Gillette Have Always Been The Top Razor Enjoying The Leading Share in The World Market. % Compared to School's 70%. This may have be beeN one of the reasoning Decision.

Apart from The Gillette Issue, The Author Believes The Japanese Razor Market is now at a Crucial Turning Point. In 1994 WARNER-LAMBERT JAPAN DECIDEDED TO HANDLE THEIR THEIR OWN IMPORTING AND SALES OF SCHICK'S RAZORS. THEY THEN CHANGED THEIR Distribution System by Increasing THEIR AUTHORIZED WHOLESALES from 5 to 20.

Feather Have Introduced a New “Major Agent” System. Previous to this New system AND / OR OUTLETS, Which Had Long BeeN The Traditional Commermercial Practice in Japan. S (Major Agent) Are Authorized to Sell in Any Area.

The changing of the distribution system adopted by Gillette, Schick and Feather are not coincidental. They have each changed their policies to meet the current reformation of distribution and price structure progressing in the Japanese market. In fact the rapid growth of supermarkets, convenience stores and Discount Stores Has Causes DRAMATIC CHANGES IN THE DISTRIBUTION And Retail Outlets Network.

Razors Were Originally Handled by Hardware Wholesalers and Sold to Hardware Stores and Department Stores. THEN. Dle Them. After the Liberalization of Imports Some WHOLESALERS OF MEDICAL INSTRUMENTS HANDLED RAZORS with a Certain Amount of Success, and no Razors ARE HANDLED by WHOLESALERS OF TOILETRY ARTICLES. THEREFORE it is Quite Possible That WHOLESALS OFERS OFES LINES WILL THE RAZOR MARKET.

It's Said That the Razor Market Has Long Sinced Maturity with Saturation of Merciente. AineD More or Less 220 Million Dollars. Recently, However, High Quality Disposable Razors Andy's Razors Have Introduced Into The Market, Expanding Outlets for Wet Shaving. The Author Has Long Cherished The Interchangeability with Each Other. AttoSent the Blade of ONE MANUFACTURER D OES NOT FIT THE HOLDER OTHER MANUFACTURERS, Causing Conusion and Inconvenience to Users. Spare Blades and The Inconvenience of Changing Blades May Have Caused the Rise of DispecoSable Razors Especially In The United States.

The Razor Market Shoud, Divide Divied Into 4 Different Price Ranges According to the Demand of Customers. $ 30 Sold as Gift Item, Regular Razors of about $ 10 Sold at Supermarkets and Other General Retailers, Disposable Razors of About 50 Cents and Finally The Keiben (The Cheapest Give Away) Razors of 5-10 Cents. In Pre-War Days Safety Razors Had BEEN ONE OFEN ONE OFT GIFT ITEMSSO Geth with Lighters, Fountain Pens, Ball Point Pens and Watches. Restore THESE OUTLETS.

He Also Points Out A Trend in The Increase of Women Using Razors, Which Coulde De Expanded in The Future. Oncept of Shaving to that of Total Facial Skin Care, So that Razors Combined with Shaving FOAM and AFTERSHAVE LOTION COULD BE SOLD AS AS PACKAGE.

As Explained About, Both The Distribution Routes and Retailing Outlets Are Reignized and IT is Hard to Forecast Which Manuals and or WHIOL ESALERS WOULD SURVIVE AND BECOME MARKET LEADERS IN The Following Decade. At Present Sanpo Are Handling Schick, Feather, Henckel and ASR Razors, And He Believes That as Long as Sanpo Fulfill Response as Sales Sales Sales Sales agent The with Continue to Do Business Based on Mutual Trust with the ManUfactu Rers.

IN JUNE 1992 A SUMMIT MEETING WAS HELD on The Conservation of Global Environment. Since THEN PEOPLE HAVE BECOME MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOC, THE PLASTIC Material USED for Razor Holders is of the Major Industrial Polluts. TheFore The Author Thinks ITHESSARY FOR THE MANUFACTURES to Find a Suitable Material to Substitute the Plastic Holders as as aspossible.

IN Closing He Lists The Names of Who Ho Ho Ho Ho Inspired Him in the Business and Who Habe Also Made Great Contribution to the Development of The Razor STRY IN JAPAN.

It has Been 13 Years SINCE MR Yasuoki Wrote His Book on the History of Shaving and ITS Business Impacts. Ther Comment as He Has Kept a Keen Interest in The Market, it Development and Has Thoughts on ITS FUTURE DIRECTION.

1998 saw Kaijirushi Kamisori a Japanese razor company introduce the first three bladed razor. At the time this was sensational in the shaving market.

He Feels that Perhaps The Biggest Development in The Introduction of the Twin Bladed Cartridge in 1970, NOW IN 2007 We Have Five / Six Bladed Azors so obviously a Lot Has Changed.

During THESE PERIODS OF CHANGE THE MANUFACTURS FOCUS WAS WAS OF THE SKIN to Give A Smooth and THEREFORE SAFE SAFE SHAVE. D by Feater The Oldest Japan Razor Company in 1994. They Invented a Special Wire System To Cover The Blade IN THE FOLLOWING YEAR SHICK an American Company Released The 'Protector'. This Razor's Was Was IMPROVEDID BY Adding LUUBRICATING STRIPS TO MAKE THE THE MAKE THE MAKE THE SHE THE SHE THE SHE THE MAKE THE MAKE THE MAKE THE MAKE THE MAKE THE. VE as Smooth as Possible. These Progresses Were VERY RAPID COMPARED to Provious Changes in The Market, and Were Responsible for The Rapid Rise in Blades to Five or Six Times The Cost of A Traditional Double Edged Blade.

Mr Takeuchi Also Comments That is not not only for the men's men's. e. Women USED to Use Shaving for Facial Hair Before They Applied Make-Up. , THEY THEREFORE STARTED TO SHEIR ARMS and LEGS. VE IN THIS AREA it Was Difficalt for Manuffacturers to Make Substantial Profits.

Mr takeuchi is also bembed by the developments of the use of powered vibration in the world. CLUDE THIS VIRATING TECHNOLOGY. THIS HAS INCREASED THE BASE COST OF THE RAZOR BUT HAPPY TOMER HAPPY to to to to to. Pay the EXTRA COST BECAUSE THEY SEE A SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT OF THE SHAVE OR DO CONSUMERS THINK IT IT IT IST A GIMMICK? He Feels That a Better Shave Can Be Had Via More Effective PrepARATION of The Skin Using Shaving Brushes and Specialized Soaps. He Feels that it is no coincideNCENCE THO ARETTE WHO ARE PROMOTING HAVE HAVE HAVE Vested Interests In Consumers in Consumers Thus Helping Companies within the within the IR Group. Mr Takeuchi Thinks Whilst Scientificaly It May Give A Closer Shave The Benefits Are Nots Nots Tangible in EVERYDAY LIFE. Experimented with thechnology perhaps Daringly on Himself some 30 years ago 30 years ago. He Tested a Wet Razor That USED Power to Vibrate Coming from A Mains Cable, He Felt The Product Was Literally Hair Raising! But Not for the Market.

He Feels that IT ITTING HARDER FOR ALL MANUFACTURERS THIS DEPRSSION. En THE MANUFACTURER, WHOLESALER AND RETAILERERER HAS CHANGED. The Large Manufacturers Have the Routes to Wholesalers to Wholesalers and Retailers. logy And Computers Has Led to Retailers and Manufactures Communication Directly and Automaticlly Managing And Ordering Stock. Tere is no Need for The Traditional Wholesaler Role in Today's Market.

This led to Mr takechi deciding to sell His company, Sanpo shoji in 2000. He Read the Market and Saw The Demise of the Necessity and Function of WHOLESALS.

At the Same Time Mr Takeuchi DecideDed to Develop to the New Market Based Around The IDEA OF SELLING ONIQUE, Handmade / Gift Shaving Products. Kamisori Club The CULTURAL MUSEUM WAS Developed Into

It is interesting to hear Mr Takeuchi's thoughts on the future of the shaving market. He suggests that the future will see manufactures looking at making the products more 'Green' and environmentally friendly. He comments that whilst previous development concentrated on safety and shaving quality to Differentiate ThemSelves from the company competitors. He Feels that Sales Will Be Won or Lost By THE ENVIRONMENTAL CREDEDEALS OF EACH PRODUCT. THE AMOUNT O f DISPOSABLE RAZORS and BLADES FILLING OUR LANDFILL SIRMING AS ALARMING AS ALARMING AND MR TAKEUCHI QUITE RIGHTLY THINKS THINKS THINKS THINKS THINKS THINKS THINKS THINK some ESOURCES NEEDS to Be Developed.

(A Synopsisi Writtten by Mr. Fukusaburo Tanuma of Takeuchi Kamisori Club)