About Kikui

Kiyoji had enjoyed fixing tools since he was a young boy, and was particularly skilled at sharpening various types of knives.
When an acquaintance asked for his help in sharpening a pair of bonsai scissors, however, he was frustrated to find that there was nothing he could do to improve their cutting ability.
For the resourceful and inquisitive Kiyoji, this experience was difficult to shake.
After the war, Kiyoji immediately went to work as a scissors-maker’s apprentice in Japan.
After building experience in both Osaka and Tokyo, he set up his own business in Wakayama, where his relatives lived.

This cobalt alloy, which is made from approximately 70% of the rare metal cobalt, never rusts and is highly resistant to wear.
Taking notice of these qualities, Kikui developed the world’s first cobalt alloy styling scissors.
Today, our customers appreciate this durability in addition to excellent cut quality, and we have developed a variety of products to meet their diverse needs. (See lineup here)

We completely revamped our lineup in order to meet the varied needs of our stylist customers.
Until this point, Kikui had been maintaining an inventory by crafting scissors in lots of 25 identical products manufactured at a time. In 2001, however, the process shifted, and Kikui established a built-to-order system that allowed for various types of scissors to be produced within a month following the arrival of each order.
With this system, we meet the specific needs of each and every stylist and improve production efficiency.

For over 40 years after Kikui Scissors first went on sale, our customers had recognized the superb, elegant design of our products; we were formally recognized with the Good Design Award, Japan’s foremost design award.