SUWADA’s nipper-type nail clippers,” well-reputed from all quarters.
Nail clippers are one of the daily household tools that everyone uses on a daily basis.In Sanjo City, Niigata Prefecture, there is a company that has been refining its craftsmanship for more than 70 years since the end of World War II, specializing in the comfort and ease of use of nail clippers for the sole purpose of cutting fingernails and toenails.The company is Suwada Seisakusho Co.Suwada’s world-famous products, which have won numerous awards both in Japan and abroad under the brand name “SUWADA,” are characterized by their nipper shape.Conventional folding-type nail clippers, known as clipper-type nail clippers, have a short blade opening of only 2 to 3 mm when in use, so it is often difficult to cut ingrown or deformed nails as desired.The nipper type, however, has a wide blade opening and a flexible angle of approach to the area to be cut, making it easy to cut nails of any shape.They are highly evaluated by nail artists and medical and nursing care professionals.
Suwada Seisakusho was founded in 1926.The company’s origins date back to 1926, when it began manufacturing “kuikiri” tools used by carpenters to meet the demand for housing reconstruction after the Great Kanto Earthquake.The manufacturing technology and shape of the tool evolved into today’s modern nail clippers, which have two blades that fit together from both sides to cut the object.Since its founding, Suwada Seisakusho has been synonymous with technical prowess, and the technology of the “aiba” blade has created a sharpness that sets the company apart from the rest.The blade is polished by hand with sandpaper, and adjustments are made while polishing it down to the micron level.This delicate process, the most difficult and time-consuming of the entire process, has been handed down from generation to generation by skilled craftsmen.The sharpness of the blade produced in this way has won the overwhelming support of professionals.
The “SUWADA’s nipper-type nail clippers” are the reason for this feature.
All manufacturing processes at Suwada Seisakusho are supported by the craftsmanship of skilled craftsmen, from the selection of materials, forging, parts processing, polishing, and mating of blades.Even a single nail clipper requires 50 to 60 processes before completion.Some products require more than 100 processes before they are finally finished.There is no compromise on quality and beauty.Currently, production continues at a pace of 8,000 pieces per month, but they are so popular that they can barely keep up with orders and have no room left in their inventory.Suwada Seisakusho makes genuine and long-life products.I don’t think there is any other company that pushes nail clippers this far.”Rui Saito, sales manager, is proud to say so.Since they are blades, they can lose their sharpness or their springiness over time.Suwada Seisakusho handles maintenance for all of its products.Craftsmen resharpen the blade, adjust the movement, and replace the spring, making it possible to continue using the product for a long time as a truly long-life item.
Suwada Seisakusho continues to grow
In 2020, the company opened a stylish open factory as an “open factory.The interior is all black, but there is a reason for this that is unique to Suwada Seisakusho.In the forging process, craftsmen judge the quality of work by the color of the material heated by fire.For this reason, work has traditionally been done in a dark place so that it is easy to see.By opening up the actual manufacturing process to the public through factory tours, the philosophy of craftsmanship and understanding of the products have deepened, and at the same time, the motivation of the craftspeople has increased.Today, the factory also has a store, restaurant, and café, and is one of the area’s most famous tourist attractions.It will soon be 100 years since the company was founded.The nipper-shaped nail clippers, which have been refined through a thorough commitment to “creating the real thing,” appear to have already reached their ultimate perfection, but “there are still many areas for improvement,” Saito says.Saito has also begun to take on the challenge of entering the new field of tools for use in the kitchen and dining room: the “sommelier knife” and “wine opener,” which won the 2020 Good Design Award, have been recognized not only for their sophisticated design and functionality, but also for their “food” aspect, which has not been directly linked to the “food” field until now.They were also a catalyst for the company’s emergence in the field of “food,” a field to which it had not been directly linked until then.In addition to these products, Suwada Seisakusho’s new initiatives, such as expanding its cutlery lineup, have been attracting a great deal of attention.Suwada’s uncompromising attitude in its constant pursuit of better products must be the craftsmanship that the world appreciates.
