Yagyu
Yagyu is a Japanese scissor manufacturer founded in 1990 in Hiroshima, known for its patented split screw pivot and handcrafted production.
Japan
Mid-range
Est. 1990
The bottom line
Yagyu is a professional hair-scissor brand from Japan, founded in 1990 in the mid-range tier.
Compare Yagyu with another brand- Origin
- Japan
- Founded
- 1990
- Headquarters
- 2-17-24 Hiroko Shinkaimachi, Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture
- Price tier
- Product range
- Cutting Scissors, Thinning Scissors, Left-Handed Scissors
- Official site
- yagyu.shop-pro.jp
- Last reviewed
- June 2026
Where to buy Yagyu
A scissor opens and closes thousands of times a shift, and the pivot screw quietly carries all of it. Yagyu built a company around that one part. Founded in February 1990 by Matsuo Yagyu, who still runs it as president and CEO, the firm works out of Kure City in Hiroshima Prefecture, with a Tokyo branch in Shibuya. It sells direct, without distributors, and also markets a line under the Leox name.
The split screw
Yagyu’s founding obsession was a freely adjustable, loosening-resistant split screw. The everyday problem is that a pivot needs to be both replaceable and reliably tight, and those two goals pull against each other. Yagyu’s answer was a screw cut in half with a spring set inside it, which holds tension while still letting the stylist adjust. The company thought enough of the idea to model its logo on the mechanism, and it has backed the design with patents in Japan, the US, and Europe. It’s a genuinely engineering-led origin story rather than a marketing one.
Made by hand in Kure
Kure was a major naval port, and that industrial heritage shows in how Yagyu works. The company says most of its production is done by hand: welding blade material to the handle, polishing blades into clam-shell or sword-edge profiles, and the final back-pressing that sets the finish. The range covers cutting, thinning, and left-handed shears, suiting blunt, slide, stroke, chop, and dry cutting plus volume and texture control.
Pricing is mid-range, roughly $200 to $400, which is fair for hand-finished Japanese shears. Buying is direct through yagyu.shop-pro.jp; the Tokyo branch asks that you contact the Hiroshima office before visiting. See the Japan brands hub for similar makers.
Yagyu FAQ
Is Yagyu a Japanese scissor brand?
Yes. Yagyu is a Japanese maker founded in February 1990 by Matsuo Yagyu, headquartered in Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture, with a Tokyo branch in Shibuya. Its scissors are made in Japan.
What is Yagyu known for?
Yagyu is known for its patented split screw pivot, a loosening-resistant design that the company logo is modeled on, and for production that is largely done by hand.
What types of scissors does Yagyu make?
Yagyu makes cutting scissors and thinning scissors, covering techniques such as blunt cut, slide cut, stroke cut, chop cut, and dry cut, plus volume and texture control models.
Does Yagyu make left-handed scissors?
Yes. Yagyu offers left-handed models alongside its standard right-handed cutting and thinning shears.
How much do Yagyu scissors cost?
Yagyu sits in the mid-range band, roughly $200 to $400, which is a common level for handcrafted professional shears made in Japan.
Where can I buy Yagyu scissors?
Yagyu sells directly through its own online store rather than through third-party distributors, so buyers purchase from the manufacturer.
Sources: official Yagyu website and authorised retailer listings. Last reviewed June 2026.