Tsurumaki Ikebana Scissors

£70

Traditional ikebana/ kothkoji scissors, crafted from stainless steel and straight from Japan. A kit-bag essential for anyone into Japanese or Korean flower arranging. Perfectly weighted, their short, broad blades are so designed to cut hard stems but be accurate enough for detailed work.

They’re made by fourth generation craftsman Shiro Tsurumaki in Tsubame-Sanjo, the famous Japanese town of metalworking. Tsurumaki specialises in handcrafted, refined gardening tools for delicate work.

These scissors feature Tsurumaki’s signature “clam blade”: a clam shell shape when viewed from the side. It helps the blade slide into the branch with less resistance, meaning a cleaner, sharper cut.

And a good pair of scissors has a slight gap between the blades when closed, just like these. It means there’s a bite point where the two blades meet, unlike flat machine-made scissors which just wrap around whatever is being cut and lose sharpness quickly. The gap is a marker of quality.

Presented in a gift box.

High quality tools will last a lifetime if you take care of them. After use: wipe off dirt, clean with water and dry thoroughly. Regularly wipe an oil such as camelia oil over the blade too, and store in a dry place. New tools won’t need sharpening for some time, but if you like you can use a sharpening stone.

Presented in a gift box and tissue paper