Warning about counterfeit Mizutani scissors

Mizutani Issues Counterfeit Warning: Fake Scissors 'Becoming More and More Common'

· by ScissorPedia Editorial

Mizutani issued a direct warning in March 2025 about the growing counterfeit problem: “Fake Mizutani’s are becoming more and more common lately.”

The statement, published on Mizutani’s European website, details specific tactics used by counterfeiters targeting professional stylists across international markets.

The Counterfeiter Playbook

According to Mizutani, counterfeiters employ several strategies that exploit the prestige of Japanese scissors manufacturing:

  • False Japanese identity: “Often the names of inferior scissors are well-sounding Japanese names that are supposed to suggest Japanese origin.”
  • Routing through Japan: “The cheap offers are often imports from other countries that are sold to Europe via Japan to suggest Japanese origin.”
  • Not handmade: “These scissors are often not made in Japan or not made by hand.”
  • Trade fair exploitation: “At trade fairs, they are then sold at inflated prices.”

How to Verify Authentic Mizutani Scissors

Mizutani recommends three verification steps:

  1. Check the serial number — every genuine Mizutani pair has a unique serial number engraved on the blade
  2. Buy from authorised dealers only — Mizutani maintains an official dealer network across 20+ countries
  3. Use Mizutani-certified sharpeners — the company warns that unauthorised third-party sharpening causes irreparable damage, with photographic evidence published on their website

The Broader Problem

Mizutani is not alone in facing counterfeits. The Hairdressing Scissors Consortium (HSC), founded in 2017 under Japan’s METI as part of the Japan Brand Development Project (ジャパンブランド育成事業), launched its HSC Tag authentication program in April 2021 to help professionals verify genuine Japanese scissors.

Hikari has also warned that non-manufacturer sharpening permanently destroys their patented hamaguri-ba convex edge geometry — a concern that extends to counterfeit scissors which lack proper edge geometry to begin with.

ScissorPedia maintains a verified retailer directory to help professionals identify authorised sellers. If a price seems too good to be true for a premium Japanese brand, it almost certainly is.