Mork
- Japan
- Est. 1893
-
Budget Luxury
Mork is a Japanese scissor maker from Ono City founded in 1893, with four generations of fully integrated, single-factory production.
Mork will build a pair to your spec: blade shape, length, handle, and screw type can all be chosen, because every step from raw material to finished shear happens in the company’s own Ono City, Hyogo factory. Founded in 1893 and run by the Kawashima family for four generations, the...
Mork will build a pair to your spec: blade shape, length, handle, and screw type can all be chosen, because every step from raw material to finished shear happens in the company’s own Ono City, Hyogo factory. Founded in 1893 and run by the Kawashima family for four generations, the Japanese maker works in cobalt, stainless, and powder metal steels.
Company Background
Mork Scissors is based in Ono City, Hyogo Prefecture (小野市, 兵庫県), a region known as “the city of scissors” (はさみの町). Ono’s scissor heritage spans over 250 years, originally rooted in agricultural tool production. The company itself traces back to 1893, when first generation founder Eiji Kawashima began manufacturing Japanese grip scissors during the Meiji era.
The business has passed through four generations of the Kawashima family. The second generation, Yoshikazu, transitioned from traditional Japanese grip scissors to Western tailoring scissors as Japan’s clothing shifted from kimono to Western dress. He pioneered mass production techniques using cast iron handle parts. The third generation, Yukio, focused on steel research and introduced numerically controlled heat treatment equipment, a technology that eventually spread to over 50 companies in the region. The current fourth generation leader, Reichi Kawashima, shifted the company’s focus to professional hair cutting shears, building on 130 years of scissor specific knowledge.
Integrated Production
What sets Mork apart from many Japanese shear makers is their fully integrated production model. Across much of the Japanese scissor industry, it is common for different stages of production to be handled by different specialist workshops. One shop forges the blanks, another grinds the blades, another assembles the final product. Mork does everything under one roof.
According to Mork, they build specialized machines for each process in their own factory, handling every step from raw material to finished shears. This allows them to customize individual pairs to exact specifications. A stylist can choose their preferred combination of materials, blade shape, blade length, blade thickness, handle shape, handle length, screw type, finger hole size, finger rest dimensions, and even sound dampener colors. Each pair gets a product number and its data is stored, which means maintenance and resharpening can be done with full knowledge of how that specific pair was originally built.
Awards and Innovation
Mork won the 50th Hyogo Prefecture Technical Merit Award for their contactless double-bearing system. This screw mechanism reduces friction between the blades without direct metal on metal contact at the pivot point. According to professionals who have used it, the result is significantly less hand fatigue during long cutting sessions. Mork reports that stylists suffering from arm fatigue and tendinitis have found relief using shears with this system.
The company also developed an original “propeller blade” (プロペラ刃) design. According to Mork, this blade geometry prevents hair from escaping during the cut, keeping strands captured from root to tip. This is a concept that does not really have an equivalent in Western scissor manufacturing.
Furusato Nozei Availability
Mork shears are available through Japan’s Furusato Nozei (ふるさと納税) hometown tax system. This is a uniquely Japanese purchasing channel where taxpayers can redirect a portion of their local taxes to a municipality of their choice and receive local products in return. For Ono City, professional scissors are one of the signature offerings. This is not a typical retail channel, but it reflects Mork’s deep connection to their home region.
Beyond Hairdressing
Mork has obtained medical device manufacturing and repair business licenses. The company applies their multi-generational scissor expertise to developing surgical instruments, including tools for artificial blood vessels and ventricular assist devices. They also handle maintenance and partial processing for other manufacturers’ products, including jobs that other companies have turned down as impossible.
Sources
- Mork official website: mork.co.jp
- Ono City Furusato Nozei product listings
- 50th Hyogo Prefecture Technical Merit Award records
See Also
Where to Buy
Mork at a glance
- Budget
- Mid-range $200–400
- Makes
- Cutting Scissors, Thinning Scissors, Left-Handed Scissors
- Based in
- Japan
- Catalogue
- 4 models listed
- Established
- 1893
Product Types
Specialties
Materials & Construction
The steel, edges, and handle styles Mork works in:
Where to Buy
Authorized Retailers
Retailers stocking Mork
ScissorPedia catalogues 1 retailer carrying Mork.
- Scissors shop Hayashi — Japan
Products
How Mork Compares
| Brand | Mork | Hakucho | Hasami House | Kikui |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Japan | Japan | Japan | Japan |
| Typical price | Mid-range | US$175–US$175 | Mid-range | US$700–US$900 |
| Steel | Cobalt, Stainless steel, Powder metal steel | Stainless steel | 440C, Cobalt | Cobalt Alloy, Stainless Steel |
| Blade types | — | Convex | — | — |
| Handles | — | Offset | — | Offset, Classic |
| Specialties | Blunt cut, Slide cut, Point cut, Texture control, Volume control | Blunt cut, Slide cut, Point cut, Texture control, Volume control, Cut & Thinning, Base cut, Finishing, Rough cut, Thinning | Blunt cut, Slide cut, Point cut, Volume control, Texture control, Cut & Thinning, Dry cut, Stroke cut, Effleurage, Chop cut, Base cut | Slide cut, Thinning(20-25%), Thinning(30-35%) |
| Founded | 1893 | 1946 | — | 1953 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The Kawashima family has run Mork across four generations since 1893, based in Ono City, Hyogo Prefecture, and every pair is built in Japan.
Mork is known for fully integrated, single-factory production, where every step from raw material to finished shear happens under one roof. That setup lets a stylist specify their own blade shape, length, handle, and screw type for a custom-built pair.
Yes. Mork makes left-handed models too, sitting beside its cutting and thinning scissors.
Mork shears are priced through Japanese specialist retailers, and ScissorPedia has not yet recorded guide prices for individual Mork models; the retailers’ listings carry current figures.
Mork shears are sold through Japanese specialist retailers, and in Ono City they are also offered through Japan’s Furusato Nozei hometown tax program.
Ratings & reviews
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