CANARY (Hasegawa Cutlery)
Japanese scissors and cutting tools from Seki, Gifu — the city of blades, crafting CANARY tools since 1933.
Hasegawa Cutlery Co., Ltd. is a cutting tool manufacturer founded in 1933 in Seki City, Gifu Prefecture — Japan's most famous blade-producing city, home to swordsmiths and cutlery makers for over 700 years. Under the CANARY brand, Hasegawa Cutlery produces scissors, cutters, and specialty cutting tools for kitchen, household, and professional use, with particular recognition for innovation in cardboard-cutting tools — including the Dan-Chan cardboard saw, a specialized cutter designed for breaking down corrugated cardboard boxes efficiently and safely. Seki's metalworking heritage and the company's nine decades of production experience inform the precision, edge quality, and functional design of the CANARY tool range.
PROFILE Company & Brand Story
Hasegawa Cutlery was founded in 1933 in Seki City, Gifu Prefecture — Japan's premier blade-making city, with a metalworking tradition established over 700 years ago. Seki developed as a center for Japanese sword production during the medieval period, and the accumulated metallurgical expertise, grinding techniques, and edge-finishing skills of the city's craftspeople translated directly into precision cutlery and cutting tool manufacturing as demand shifted across the centuries.
Today, Seki City produces a significant share of Japan's scissors, kitchen knives, and cutting tools, with dozens of manufacturers operating in a concentrated industrial district that maintains deep specialist knowledge of blade steel selection, heat treatment, grinding angles, and edge geometry. Hasegawa Cutlery built on this foundation over nine decades to develop the CANARY brand as a line of household, kitchen, and specialty cutting tools.
The Dan-Chan cardboard saw is one of CANARY's most innovative products — a tool that addresses a specific, common domestic problem: breaking down corrugated cardboard boxes for disposal or recycling. Standard scissors and box cutters either lack the leverage for thick corrugated cardboard or present safety risks with exposed blades. The Dan-Chan uses a saw-tooth edge geometry that cuts through corrugated material efficiently without requiring blade pressure that risks slipping or injury.
Kitchen Spatter scissors demonstrate CANARY's approach to functional design in kitchen cutting tools: scissors with a specific blade geometry or surface treatment optimized for cutting raw poultry, fish, meat, and other food materials that adhere to conventional blade surfaces. The blade design addresses the specific properties of the material being cut rather than applying a generic scissor geometry.
The Extra Fine Design Scissors and Casta represent CANARY's general-purpose and detail-work ranges — scissors produced with Seki's precision manufacturing standards for everyday household and craft use. The RE-20 Emergency Tool extends the brand's cutting expertise into safety applications.
Seki City blade heritage — 700 years of Japanese cutting tool production
CANARY is made in Seki City, Gifu — Japan's most famous blade-producing city, with a metalworking tradition stretching back over 700 years to Japanese swordsmithing. The city's accumulated expertise in steel selection, heat treatment, grinding, and edge finishing provides Hasegawa Cutlery with manufacturing advantages available nowhere else in Japan.
Dan-Chan cardboard saw — innovative safe cardboard-cutting tool
The Dan-Chan addresses a specific domestic problem: cutting corrugated cardboard safely and efficiently. Its saw-tooth geometry cuts through thick corrugated material without the slip risk of exposed box-cutter blades or the inadequacy of conventional scissors. A problem-specific tool designed with the precision of Japan's blade-making capital.
CANARY functional design — Seki precision in everyday cutting tools
The CANARY range applies Seki City's blade manufacturing precision to everyday household and kitchen cutting tools. Kitchen Spatter scissors, design scissors, and specialty cutters benefit from the same metallurgical standards and edge-finishing expertise used in Seki's professional knife production.
PRODUCTS Featured Products & Services
CANARY Dan-Chan Cardboard Saw — Japanese Cardboard Cutter
The CANARY Dan-Chan: a specialized cutter for corrugated cardboard boxes. Saw-tooth blade geometry cuts efficiently through thick corrugated material without the safety risks of exposed box-cutter blades. Made in Seki City, Gifu — Japan's blade-making capital.
View DetailsCANARY Kitchen Spatter Scissors — Japanese Kitchen Scissors
Kitchen scissors from CANARY with blade geometry optimized for cutting raw poultry, fish, and meat. Made in Seki City, Gifu. Precision blade manufacture, functional design for food preparation.
View DetailsCANARY Extra Fine Design Scissors — Japanese Precision Scissors
Fine-tipped design scissors from CANARY for detailed cutting work — craft, paper, ribbon, and precision detail applications. Seki City blade manufacturing standards in a general-purpose design scissors format.
View DetailsCANARY Casta — Japanese Household Scissors
The Casta scissors from CANARY: precision general-purpose household scissors from Seki City. Consistent edge, comfortable grip, durable construction for everyday cutting tasks.
View DetailsCANARY Emergency Tool RE-20 — Japanese Safety Cutter
The RE-20 Emergency Tool from CANARY: a safety cutting tool for emergency use. Seki City blade quality in a compact, functional format for vehicle, home or office emergency preparedness.
View DetailsMEDIA Media, Awards & Initiatives
- CANARY's Dan-Chan cardboard saw is regularly featured in Japanese household goods and lifestyle media as an innovative solution to the specific problem of breaking down corrugated cardboard for disposal. The product is recognized as an example of the problem-specific design approach that distinguishes Seki City cutting tool makers from general-purpose scissor manufacturers.