Seki’s Tenken Industry, a 90-Year-Old Cutlery Master, Blends Tradition with Global Innovation

SEKI, JAPAN — TENKEN INDUSTRY Co., Ltd., a precision cutlery manufacturer based in Seki City, Gifu Prefecture—one of the world’s three major cutlery centers—is gaining international recognition by marrying its centuries-old craftsmanship with modern product design and global crowdfunding initiatives.

With a history spanning over 90 years since its founding in 1926, the company embodies the “Craftsman Spirit” of Seki, a city with an 800-year tradition of sword forging. Tenken’s core expertise lies in the highly specialized manufacturing of precision instruments, particularly the crucial skill of achieving precise, uniform alignment in the tips of tweezers and forceps. This unique, un-manualized technique, passed down through three generations, has secured Tenken a top-class reputation in the medical, industrial, and beauty sectors.

Global Market Success & Cutting-Edge Products
Tenken is successfully venturing beyond its traditional OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturing) business by developing highly innovative original products that resonate with a global audience.
• Crowdfunding Triumphs: The company made a notable mark with its outdoor ignition tool, “Chaccard,” which achieved an impressive 1,020% of its funding goal on the Japanese Makuake platform in August 2023. Building on this momentum, Tenken expanded its reach by successfully executing a follow-up project on the world’s largest crowdfunding site, Kickstarter (US), in October 2024.

This project, the “Indigo Metal Chaccard,” uniquely featured metal finished with Aizome (indigo dye) from the Nishi-Awa World Agricultural Heritage site, highlighting a striking fusion of Japanese tradition and innovation.
• Expo 2025 Recognition: Tenken’s original beauty tweezers, the “Skill King,” have been selected as an official licensed craft product for the upcoming EXPO 2025 Osaka-Kansai World Exposition. The product is slated for sale on the official site and was displayed at the Tokushima booth, a testament to the company’s commitment to creating high-quality, professional-grade tools.

In addition to its innovative gear, Tenken continues to produce a wide array of precision tools, including professional beauty and hairdressing scissors, industrial precision tweezers, and high-quality knives and kitchen cutlery, all meticulously finished by hand, ensuring that the legacy of Seki’s legendary craftsmanship endures into the next era.