Kids Web Japan

Scissors Inspired by Japanese Swords

1. Designed by celebrated neurosurgeon Kamiyama Hiroyasu

   Based on his experiences of treating more than 400 patients per year, Dr. Kamiyama requested a pair of scissors with slender blades and a shape similar to that of a naginata (a spear with a long shaft and a curved blade).

   
   
2. Ideal for traditional Japanese surgery

   Muramasa scissors are ideal for cerebral revascularization, an operation performed to increase blood flow to the brain in the event of a blocked cerebral artery. The surgery, which aims to prevent strokes, involves bypassing the blocked blood vessel.

   
   
3. Reviving traditional Japanese sword-making
   

   Muramasa was the name of a famous Japanese sword maker in the sixteenth century.

What Makes Muramasa Scissors Special?

Sharp

Craftsmen make sure that the scissors can cut both solid copper wire and very thin paper before they are finished.

Safe and precise

The scissors are so sensitive that surgeons can feel it in their hands when a cut is made.

Using the Muramasa Special

With surgical procedures evolving all the time, serration-blade scissors were devised to further improve doctors’ surgical abilities. These scissors are used to remove artificial substances placed in the brain in order to prevent blood vessels from rupturing due to the swelling of arteries.

How the Scissors Are Made

Sharpening and combining the scissor blades requires the most advanced blade-making skills.

(Updated in October 2007)