3 Things to Know about KASHO

1. The Meaning of KASHO—and Why We Chose it for Our Brand Name

The Kasho brand name is made up of two Japanese written symbols: ka, meaning “fire,” and sho, meaning “master” or “expert.”

A Japanese sword maker tends the fire during the samurai sword-making process.

Fire Master, Steel Master

Together, the two symbols refer to mastery of the smithy fires in which Japan’s famously sharp and precise samurai swords were forged. The work of these ancient smiths reveals an astonishing understanding of chemistry. As they repeatedly heated and quenched the blade, they knew that the process changed the internal structure of the steel. Through this continual heating and cooling, they created the precise conditions needed to bring out the very best qualities in the steel and perfect the performance of the sword.

With this kind of skill and experience, the finest smiths could rightly be called “fire masters.” Today, a select few of Japan’s most skilled fire masters still create exquisite examples of the ancient art of the samurai sword. Their work is highly prized by collectors throughout the world.

Samurai Swords & Hair Shears?

At this point, you might be wondering what the ancient tradition of samurai sword-making has to do with your hair shears. As it turns out, quite a lot.

In fact, the bladed products made in Japan today—from kitchen knives to pocketknives to hair cutting shears—are heirs to Japan’s ancient tradition of crafting the most renowned swords in the world. Skills learned throughout centuries of blade-making still inform the precision work of the modern Japanese blade maker.

2. Ancient Tradition Meets Modern Technologies

Of course, today’s steelmaking is on a more industrial scale and takes advantage of modern technologies and materials that would bring tears of joy to an ancient smith’s eyes. Nevertheless, the Japanese tradition of the meticulous crafting of each blade remains the inspiration behind the work of today’s artisans of the blade.

Kai scissors undergo heat treatment at the Kai manufacturing facility.

Heat Treatment for Performance

For instance, the blades of each pair of Kasho shears undergo a process of heating and cooling, just as the ancient fire masters did with their swords. This process is known as heat treating. Today, heat treating is precision controlled with computers to ensure consistent quality time after time. Heat treatment makes Kasho steel very hard—and brings out its best, high-performance qualities. This process enables us to give your shears an extremely sharp edge that stays sharper for longer.

The Right Blade Shape

Another part of the modern fire master’s art is the shape of the blades themselves. Kasho blades have convex outer surfaces and concave, or hollow ground, inner surfaces. Though this type of blade has both types of surfaces, you will usually see them described simply as “convex” or “semi-convex” blades for their outer surface shape. The curved outer surface meets the hollowed inner surface to create an extremely sharp and precise cutting edge. As you cut with Kasho shears, the point where the two blades intersect is smaller than the width of an individual hair. This makes cutting smooth, quiet, and easy. Because the design is so powerful, there is almost no pressure needed as you cut—which means less hand fatigue as you work. This is what KASHO means by our “Ultimate Edge” and what makes KASHO the first choice of professionals worldwide.

The Right Sharpener

As you can imagine, making precision shears like these is much more complicated than the manufacture of flatter, conventional-style scissors. It also puts them many levels ahead in performance—from sharpness and precision to a much quicker, easier cutting experience.

Kasho's expert shear sharpener puts a perfect edge on a pair of Kasho stylist shears.

While KASHO is known for an extremely long-lasting edge, at some point, your shears will need sharpening to continue performing their best. When that time comes, we recommend sending them in to our KASHO sharpening service. Just as the original fire masters knew their craft, KASHO sharpening experts know how to re-sharpen these precision instruments, returning them to you as good as new.

3. Over 100 Years of Quality

The makers of KASHO shears, the KAI Group of Japan, proudly stand in Japan’s ancient tradition of blade smiths. In addition to premium KASHO shears, KAI also crafts the finest kitchen cutlery, dependable pocketknives, and lifesaving medical scalpels. Underlying each different type of blade is KAI’s dedication to the very best quality and the highest precision for every user, every day.

Honoring Tradition—and You

So now you know a few new things about KASHO. Our brand name honors Japan’s ancient “fire masters” and their blade-making tradition. At the same time, we take advantage of today’s most advanced materials and technologies. With a long history of quality, KAI and KASHO are dedicated to making the very finest quality professional hair shears available today. With KASHO, you get shears that you can count on; shears that won’t bend, tug, or tear your clients’ hair. Instead, KASHO cuts easily and accurately—and stays sharp for what can almost seem like a lifetime.

Of course, there is another reason for our choice of brand name and passion for quality: you. As professional stylists and barbers, you are the design masters of your art and craft. You deserve tools with performance you can trust—so you can pursue your vision with confidence and creativity.

Kasho Damascus shears are the ultimate hair stylist's tool.