KING CRAFT

KING CRAFT is the house brand of Hasamiya Hayashi (ハサミ屋はやし), a scissors specialty business in Kanazawa, Ishikawa run by Hayashi Toshimasa, a professional sharpener. That last detail is the key to the brand. When the person putting their name on a line spends every day sharpening other people’s scissors, the design tends to reflect what actually works on the cutting floor rather than what photographs well. The shop runs a small weekday operation, and KING CRAFT is its premium showcase.

The naming runs entirely on Greek mythology, which is a charming through-line across an otherwise serious catalogue.

Steel and models

Depending on the model, blades are forged from a cobalt special alloy or a powder metal alloy, both of which sit at the harder, longer-holding end of scissor steels and justify the premium pricing of roughly $400 to $800.

On the cutting side, the Pandora is the flagship, built in a nano powder metal steel, with the Prometheus a 7.0” convex-edge model in powder metal alloy for longer cutting strokes. The Eos uses the cobalt special alloy, while the Helios runs a semi-offset handle, the Leda a 3D ergonomic build with a blunt tip, and the Gaia a flat super-alloy blade. On the thinning side, the Clio comes in 10%, 20%, and 30% removal rates with a three-dimensional handle, so you can match the thinner’s bite to the job.

Buying

KING CRAFT sells direct through the Hasamiya Hayashi online store at hasamiya884.jp, which mainly serves the Japanese domestic market. See the other Japanese brands for comparison.