Yoshioka Hamono’s Kuroco Garden Shears Win LIFE x Design Award for Master Artisan Craft
Recognising Japanese Forging Excellence at the Tokyo Gift Show At the Tokyo International Gift Show in February 2025 — Japan’s largest trade exhibition featuring over 2,700 exhibitors—Yoshioka Hamono’s “Kuroco Pointed Tip Pruning Scissors” received the highly esteemed LIFE✖️Design Award for Best Takumi (Master Artisan) Craft. This award is given to a select few brands that […]
The Peculiar Connection Between Sumo Wrestlers and Grip Scissors
While sumo wrestling may seem worlds apart from the art of crafting with Grip Scissors, the two are connected through the traditional grooming and presentation of sumo wrestlers. The Importance of the “Mage” Topknot In sumo wrestling, a wrestler’s appearance is integral to their identity. The traditional topknot hairstyle, or “mage”, symbolises a wrestler’s rank […]
How not to be “cheated” by your stainless steel products
I live in Sydney. My kitchen has a mishmash of stainless steel products – some I bring from Japan and some I buy from Australia (most of those are probably not made here I’d say). I don’t think anybody checks what kind of stainless steel a dish rack or mixing bowl are made of when […]
Where do Japanese artisan steel products come from?
Scissors, knives, sickles, axes, chisels, nail clippers…. Japan and Germany are the two big names when it comes to good quality steel blade products. In Japan there has never been a clear distinction between art, craft and design. Generations of artisans have refined their skills, which are admired around the world, to the point where […]