Personal Care Tools
Edged tools for personal use which stay sharp for a long time, made in Seki, Gifu Prefecture, ‘the Cutlers Town’. The Seki cutlery industry, which is said to have begun when swordsmiths gathered during the age of civil war, makes edges which remain keen, have a strong core and are resistant to nicks. Even today, it, along with Solingen in Germany and Sheffield in Britain, is one of the three great global cutlery centres. There are approximately 450 cutlery companies in Seki and although the knives are industrial products, there is a surprising degree of hand crafting. The craftsmen cooperate to raise technical standards and produce outstanding products.
Steel scissors, made by thirty processes over a period of at least three months
Steel scissor blade blanks, cut out by a press, pass through a trimming process before being ground and polished. After being washed to remove soiling, they are hardened by quenching and toughness increased by tempering. Then they are manually processed by tapping the ends of the blades, which are smaller than a fingertip, to adjust them to the ideal angle and grinding both blades simultaneously to achieve a good consistent finish along their entire lengths. The last of about thirty processes is a quality check, involving both a visual check and cutting check are carried out. The scissors cut fabric into strips in no time with a gentle snipping sound.
