Ikebana Scissors - Mini Ōkubo - White

A small pair of Ōkubo-basami (大久保鋏), the name Toyama Hamono of Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture, gives to its traditional Japanese shears. This one is 130mm long, with white handles, and comes in a black pouch and a black box lettered in gold with the maker's mark, 宗家 秀久 作.

The broad loop handles take the whole hand, and the short, pointed blades suit close work: cutting flowers, making arrangements, and trimming houseplants and succulents, on stems up to about 8 mm across. A gold-coloured cap covers the pivot.

Specifications:

• Maker: Toyama Hamono, Sanjo, Niigata
• Model: T-201W, ミニ大久保鋏 ホワイト
• Overall length: 130mm
• Blade length: 70mm
• Weight: 100 g
• Steel: forged steel
• Handles: white
• Supplied with: black pouch and black presentation box
• Origin: Made in Japan

Care instructions:

Wipe the scissors clean and dry after use, especially the blades, and store them indoors. A light wipe with knife oil or sewing-machine oil makes rust less likely, particularly before putting them away for a long time.

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Toyama Hamono (外山刃物) was founded in 1861, at the end of the Edo period, and makes scissors in Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture. Its methods are based on those used to make Japanese swords, and its fire-forged scissors are made by hand, one pair at a time, alongside modern precision grinding. The company calls itself the sōke (宗家), or head house, of Echigo tree scissors, Echigo being the old province that is now most of Niigata. Its scissors carry the mark 秀久, Hidehisa, the name of the fourth-generation craftsman, who broadened the range; the fifth generation runs the company today.