[Tobisho] Double-Bladed Pruning Shears (Curved Blade) 185mm (7.3") [TBS012102]

Cut Deep, Leave Nothing Behind

About Double-Bladed Pruning Shears (Curved Blade) 185mm (7.3")

This is a double-bevel shear with a short, curved blade, ground thin for sharpness rather than for cutting through wood. Where the straight-blade version slides in flat, this curve lets the blade reach further into rounded material as it closes, cutting deeper into a garlic or onion root, or a pumpkin's stem, in a single stroke, rather than leaving a stub that needs a second cut. The thin edge isn't suited to branches; treat it as a shear for fibrous, soft-to-firm material, not wood.

In Japan, this is the model gardeners and farmers reach for specifically to cut garlic and onion roots close, and to sever a pumpkin's tough stem cleanly at harvest. It also sees steady use in Hokkaido, one of Japan's major livestock regions, where it's used for cattle hoof care.

How to Maintain Your Tobisho Pruning Shears

Can I use this on a branch?
No. This shear is ground thin for sharpness on soft, fibrous material, not for wood. Forcing it through a branch risks chipping the edge. For branches, use a bypass pruner or a single-bevel shear instead.

How do I keep the blade in condition?
Wipe off resin or plant residue 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.

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.

Can the shear get wet?
Avoid it where possible, and never leave the shear wet. After use, especially around livestock or damp root vegetables, wipe it dry thoroughly, the pivot retains moisture longest.

What if I drop it?
It depends on how and where it lands. A handle-first drop can bend the handle. A blade-first drop risks chipping, this blade is ground thin, so treat it with more care than a heavier pruning shear.

Can I sharpen it myself?
Yes, if you understand the blade geometry and have the skill. Sharpen only the face of each blade, never the inner flat side. If you're not confident, leave it to a professional. A blade sharpened incorrectly is harder to recover than a dull one.

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.
Ground thin for sharpness on soft, fibrous material such as garlic or onion roots and pumpkin stems. Not suited to cutting branches; use a bypass pruner or single-bevel shear instead.
Do not twist or lever the blade during a cut.
Handle with care, blade-first drops risk chipping.
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 2 of 2)

Topic: The uses we know, and the ones we don't.

Hiroshi Urata

On that same call, I asked Tobisho about the curved blade too. Their answer was more concrete this time, but still modest: cutting pumpkin stems, garlic and onion roots, and, they mentioned, it sells well in Hokkaido, one of Japan's major livestock regions, for cattle hoof care. If a curved blade like this can handle a cow's hoof, I can't help but wonder whether it would work just as well on the goats and sheep kept on smallholdings elsewhere in the world; that's a use nobody at Tobisho has confirmed to me, and the blade is ground thin, not built for wood or anything heavier than what it's already known for. If anyone reading this has actually put it to that use, or found some other use entirely, I'd genuinely like to know. I have a feeling there's a use for this shear still waiting to be discovered.

⏪ Return to Part 1