Me and the Razor Family
Prologue
I deliberately refer to myself as ‘me’ because it feels more natural!
Born in 1973, I am the fourth generation of a razor shop family in Sendagaya.
Recently, I met with tax accountant Mr. Kume and discussed various topics. He said, “Mr. Norioki,
since you’ve been in the razor business for 52 years, working with various manufacturers and blade manufacturers, you should leave something behind!”
“Since I haven’t worked for just one manufacturer but have actually visited and worked with various manufacturers, there are probably people who want to hear about it. You’ve also appeared in the media, right? You’re a highly specialised analyst! Considering how many decades you have left to live, and the fact that you’ve been in the razor business since birth, you should keep it.”
With those words, I decided to write an article about my experiences.
1. My family’s razor roots
My grandmother’s business was a razor shop!
She apparently manufactured razor handles (the handle part) in Kanda, Tokyo.
My grandfather came from a family that ran a silk factory in Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture.
The razor shop was named ‘Suzutoku Anzen Razor’ after Suzuki Tokubei.
Unfortunately, the handles from that era no longer exist.
The reason for the closure was that during the war, all iron and steel materials were diverted for weapon production,
leaving no materials available.
The razor manufacturing business was forced to cease…
But the razor shop continued!
Here is my grandfather’s story.
My grandfather was in Yokohama from Takasaki, studying silk production while living in Ueda.
After some time, he observed the textile industry being imported from overseas and anticipated future challenges,
so he worked as an apprentice at a knife wholesaler in Asakusa-bashi (still in operation today as Ryogo Shouten).
There, he met the daughter of ‘Suzutoku Safety Razor’ (my grandmother) and married her.
I don’t think he ever imagined that he would grow an overseas razor manufacturer into the number one in Japan.
This was the beginning of a manufacturer’s agent (razor shop) that surpassed even the manufacturer itself, rather than a wholesaler.
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