[Tobisho] Pruning & Bud Shears 185mm (7.3") Red & Yellow Taped Handle [TBS010502V]

Small branches, clean buds, one shear. With red and yellow. — Premium Japanese Hand-Forged Pruning Shears

About the Tobisho Pruning & Bud Shears Series

Yamagata's blacksmiths have long worked in the space between two demands: the reach and cutting power of a bypass pruner, and the precision of a bud-clearing snip. The Pruning & Bud Shears grew out of that space, a shape refined over generations to handle light pruning of small twigs while still delivering the clean, precise cut a bud or delicate shoot requires.

Like many of the pruning and harvesting tools born in this region, the Pruning & Bud Shears reflects a shape shared and refined among neighboring Yamagata blacksmiths over generations, each master learning from and building on the other's work. What distinguishes Tobisho's approach is not a claim to sole invention, but a continued commitment to forging each blade by hand, one piece at a time, with an integral structure that carries the weight and balance of a single, unbroken piece of steel.

Tobisho continues to forge the Pruning & Bud Shears the same way today: each piece shaped and finished by hand, including every left-handed edition, which is forged from scratch rather than copied from a flipped mold. A mirror in shape, but not in craftsmanship.

About Tobisho Pruning & Bud Shears 185mm (7.3") Red & Yellow Taped Handle

At 185mm (7.3"), this is the smaller of the two sizes in the Pruning & Bud Shears lineup, built for a finer level of control. It suits detailed, close-in work, thinning bonsai, shaping small ornamental trees, or any task where the cut needs to be exact rather than fast. The single-bevel blade meets its counterpart edge to edge, so the shear handles both woody shoots and softer buds without the trade-offs of a non-contact design.

The smaller frame also fits smaller hands more naturally, without asking them to work around a tool sized for someone else's grip. That said, this isn't a beginner's downsize: professional gardeners who spend their days on detailed, precision work often reach for the 185mm specifically because the size matches the scale of what they're cutting.

This edition wraps the handle in red and yellow tape, a finish that has become a signature across the Tobisho lineup. On a smaller shear that's easy to set down and lose track of among bonsai pots or dense foliage, the two colors make it easier to spot at a glance.

The blade and handle are forged as one integral piece from Premium Blade Steel of an undisclosed grade, a construction that carries its weight forward through the cut rather than concentrating it at the pivot. At about 160g, it stays light and precise through long stretches of detailed work.

How to Maintain Your Tobisho Pruning Shears

How do I keep the blade in condition?
Wipe off resin after every use, ideally. Resin buildup gradually forces the blade trajectory outward, the two cutting edges stop meeting cleanly, and the pivot bolt begins to wear along that same outward path, compounding the problem. If wiping after every use isn't practical, clean the blades regularly. Carrying a small cloth and blade cleaner means you can do it on a break.

How do I lubricate the pivot?
Ideally, remove the bolt periodically and pack grease inside, grease holds longer than oil. That said, this requires skill and confidence to do correctly. A practical alternative: one drop of oil on the pivot once a month. It's not the full solution, but it keeps things running smoothly.

Can the shear get wet?
Avoid it where possible, and never leave the shear wet. After working in rain or morning dew, wipe it dry thoroughly. The pivot area retains moisture longest, use a blower or compressed air if you have one. Regular oiling helps here too: a well-oiled blade sheds water rather than holding it.

What if I drop it?
It depends on how and where it lands. A handle-first drop can bend the handle, affecting feel and the locking mechanism. A blade-first drop risks chipping. As a general rule: the sharper the blade, the harder and more brittle the steel, and the thinner the edge. Handle forged Japanese blades accordingly.

Can I sharpen it myself?
Yes, if you understand the blade geometry and have the skill. Sharpening scissors is significantly harder than sharpening knives: you are managing the contact between two blades, and as you sharpen, the blade face recedes, which can cause the edges to lose contact. If you are confident, sharpen only the face of each blade, never the inner flat side. When the blades stop meeting cleanly despite sharpening, that is the point to send it back to the maker. If you are not confident, leave it to a professional. A blade sharpened incorrectly is harder to recover than a dull one. That said: when you reach the point where you can sharpen your own tools, your relationship with them changes entirely.

What if I force it through a branch that's too thick?
Don't. Twisting or levering the shear to force a cut transfers lateral stress directly to the blade, chipping, blade separation, handle damage. Pruning shears, regardless of maker, are not designed for branches thicker than a little finger. That is what a saw is for. The boundary is the thickness of a little finger. Remember it.

About Tobisho: Four Generations of Pruning Shear Hand-Forging

Tobisho has been forging blades in Yamagata since 1804, ten generations of blacksmiths, four of them dedicated to pruning shears. It was Syojiro Tobitsuka, the seventh-generation bladesmith in his family line, who founded Tobisho as a pruning shear forge in 1930, making him the first of four generations dedicated to shears.

Syojiro's shears served both the silkworm farmers already working the region and the orchardists who followed as Yamagata became one of Japan's great fruit-growing prefectures. The tools had to work. His name is still stamped on every Karikomi Shear Tobisho makes.

Generation by generation, the shears got better. What Tobisho is known for today, their heat treatment, their distinctive surface finish, is accumulated experience, made visible.

The late master Yasuhito Tobitsuka, third generation, developed the SR, the Hiryu, and the Asuka, and redesigned the A-type's handle. Daiki Tobitsuka, the fourth-generation master working at the forge today, has added the Hisui, the Hirei, and a Damascus steel A-type. His philosophy: "Cutting well is the baseline. Beyond that: simple and sturdy.", 質実剛健

Forging the Handle

Sharpening the Blade

Notes on use

IMPORTANT: This shear is made of High-Carbon Alloy Steel (Not Stainless Steel). It is exceptionally sharp but prone to rust if not maintained.
Do not twist or lever the blade during a cut.
Handle with care, blade-first drops risk chipping.
For one-handed use only. Right hand.
Designed for branches up to the thickness of a little finger. Use a saw beyond that.
Oil and clean regularly to prevent rust and blade separation.
Do not use on wire, rope, or any non-plant material.
Keep out of reach of children.

💬 Story of This Model - By Shop Manager (Part 6 of 8)

Topic: The same answer, from a completely different group of people.

Hiroshi Urata

The answers matched what I'd heard from the Niwashi. "It's just right for me." "I'm a fan of this shear." It seemed to be genuinely true: this shear is "just right" for a wide range of people.

➔ Continue to Part 7: Tobisho Left-Handed Pruning & Bud Shears 185mm (7.3")