Ikenami Hamono Tanebasami scissors | black-forged

*** Product availability note Jan 2nd, 2024: Please note we are presently waiting on freshly forged 6-sun scissors. ETA late January. ***

 Traditional Japanese scissors. Amazingly sharp!

YSS Shirogami white#1 steel.
Hand-forged on Tanegashima Island. 

When we first heard of these scissors, an older and wiser head convinced us that because of their special steel and their unique blade shape and action that they are actually self sharpening, something we'd never heard of but were rather enthusiastic about. We had to have a pair! 

So we journeyed to Tanegashima, where Ikenami san of the Ikenami Hamono company set us straight. There's no such thing as self-sharpening scissors (he was looking at us a bit oddly, come to think of it.) 

But Tanebasami are the next best thing. You just won't credit how wonderful these scissors really are. Cutting fabric is like cutting nothing at all, with an incredibly smooth blade action that cuts right to the very tip. Choki-choki! They're hand-forged and hand-finished by a Master Craftsman. A real one. 

They're beautiful, or at least we think so. They have a wonderful balance and cut unbelievably cleanly (this we know). And they have an intangible quality that just makes you want to go around cutting things. 

Sizes are in the old measure of Japanese 'sun', (written as 寸 and pronounced as in 'gesundheit'), hence the unusual sizes. 

4 sun
Overall length: 12.12 cm
Perfect for: fine handcrafts, sewing, general snipping. Very cute.
Weight in hand: 32g

5 sun
Overall length: 15.15 cm
Perfect for: patchwork, scrapbooking and papercrafts, book-binding and repairs, all precision cutting.
Weight in hand: 58g 

6 sun
Overall length: 18.18 cm
The best blade length for all-purpose scissors.
Weight in hand: 85g

7.5 sun
Overall length: 22.7 cm
Perfect for: dressmaking, sewing, all fabrics and pattern cutting (the original kimono scissors).
Weight in hand: 176g