Toyama Hamono has been making shears in Sanjō, Niigata, one of Japan's great blacksmithing towns, since 1861. Founder Ryūmatsu Toyama, a craftsman from Wakasa, forged his first shears from metal reclaimed from old warships, and the business has passed down through five generations of the Toyama family ever since.
Each generation added something: Tomijirō developed shears for cutting metal in the 1880s, Hidekichi founded Toyama Hamono Works in 1906 and brought in drop-forging, and Hidehisa and Hideo turned the workshop towards bonsai and ikebana shears in the mid-20th century. In 2020 fifth-generation Hidenobu brought the family businesses together as Toyama Hamono Co., Ltd.
Every pair is still finished by hand, one at a time. Toyama shears have won a Good Design Award, and in 2023 they were named Sustainable Garden Product of the Show at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show.
Handmade Japanese Okubo Scissors
Handmade Japanese Okubo Scissors
Best for
- Bonsai care
- Roots
- Stems and leaves
- Long sessions
- Type
- Okubo shears
- Steel
- High-carbon steelkeenest edge, wipe dry and oil
- Grip
- Broad, rounded handles
Not sure which shears to choose?
Compare every Toyama pair by task, steel, grip and size, or try our 3-tap shears finder.
A trusted essential in traditional bonsai care, these Handmade Japanese Okubo Scissors offer the strength, balance, and precision required for fine pruning work. Designed to handle everything from delicate leaf trimming to tougher root maintenance, their clean cutting action helps promote healthy growth and maintain the natural beauty of your bonsai.
Forged from high carbon Japanese steel, the 70mm blades are sharp, durable, and well-suited to repetitive tasks. The broad, rounded handles provide excellent control and comfort, especially during longer sessions of detailed work.
These shears are as robust as they are refined - perfect for roots, stems, and foliage. To ensure their longevity, it's important to remove sap and moisture after use and lightly oil with camellia oil before storing.
An indispensable addition to any bonsai toolkit, these Okubo scissors deliver both traditional craftsmanship and modern reliability in one beautiful tool.
