[Tobisho] Hirei Pruning Shears 165mm (6.5") [TBS011501]

All the refinement, none of the compromise. — Premium Japanese Hand-Forged Pruning Shears

About the Tobisho Hisui & Hirei Series

The Hisui and Hirei began with a request from a peach orchard farmer: a smaller hand pruner, one that could cut thin, hard branches with a real sense of drawing through the cut rather than simply pinching it shut. Daiki Tobitsuka, Tobisho's fourth-generation master, took the request as a starting point and reworked the handle from the ground up. The motif behind the shape is the "pistol-type" pruning shear developed in the Akita region; Hisui and Hirei are both built on that silhouette, carrying forward Tobisho's own accumulated experience.

Hirei shares its body with Hisui, forged full-body in Yamagata, but its blades are finished to meet and slide against each other, cutting the way an ordinary pair of shears does, the same logic as the Asuka. Hisui's blades incorporate the innovations behind the Hiryu, Tobisho's most refined model: shaped so the two edges never touch at all, cutting with a drawing motion instead of a direct pinch.

Both are forged full-body in Yamagata, Japan, the same construction as the rest of the Tobisho pruning shear lineup.

About Tobisho Hirei Pruning Shears 165mm (6.5")

The Hirei 165mm (6.5") is right-handed only. Steel: Premium Blade Steel (undisclosed grade), full-body forged in Yamagata, Japan.

Hisui's non-contact blades give it a remarkably light, resistance-free cut, but that same gap between the edges means thin or soft materials, paper, twine, and the like, won't cut cleanly. Hirei takes the opposite path: its blades meet and slide against each other in the ordinary way a pair of shears does, the same contact mechanism as the Asuka. That trade-off buys real versatility. Hirei keeps as much of Hisui's sharpness as a contact blade allows, while handling a far wider range of material without hesitation.

Because the whole shear is built at this smaller, close-to-the-hand scale, the same as Hisui, it stays light and easy to control, suited to a wide range of hand sizes. For work that doesn't call for a saw, it can often handle the job on its own.

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

Video: Forging the Tobisho Pruner Handle

Video: 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 2 of 2)

Topic: What's in a name: Hirei.

Hiroshi Urata

Hirei is a harder name to unpack. The first character, 飛, is the same one that opens Tobisho and Tobitsuka, marking it as their work, same as Hisui. The rei comes from 鶺鴒, the character used for the wagtail, a bird that appears in Japan's creation myth as the one who showed the primordial couple Izanagi and Izanami the way. There was reportedly an earlier prototype name, Hien (飛燕), but it was dropped over licensing concerns, leaving Hirei as the name that stuck.

⏪ Return to Part 1 (Hisui)