After Exhibiting at TEIBANTEN: Returning to the Roots of "Scissor Case Making"

February 15, 2017

After exhibiting at TEIBANTEN: Returning to the origin of "scissor case making"

From July 9th to 12th, 2025, I participated in the special exhibition "TEIBANTEN" held at Shinjuku OZONE for four days.

This exhibition brought together manufacturers from three prefectures—Shiga, Mie, and Nara—to engage with participants at their respective booths and share the stories behind their products.

TEIBANTEN exhibition space

Challenges felt as a local maker

Local manufacturing faces many challenges, such as "depopulation," "aging craftsmen," and "lack of successors."
Although attention has finally begun to shift from "products" to "the stories behind them" in recent years, the reality is that this alone is not enough for sustainable business.

I was reminded that makers themselves need to flexibly adapt to changes in times and lifestyles, and explore new ways of communicating and engaging.

BLINK LEATHER WORKS' exhibition

We participated as representatives of Shiga Prefecture, exhibiting scissor cases and newly created tote bags.

I learned about this exhibition exactly one year ago. Since then, we have been preparing for a year with the goal of exhibiting, and finally, the day arrived.

Why make "scissor cases"?

I was originally a hairdresser.
During my nine years as a hairdresser, the only tool I could never find satisfaction with was the "scissor case."

No matter how many times I replaced them, none ever felt quite right.
From that experience, I started making leather products with the desire to "make a scissor case that I could truly love myself."

I re-learned the basics, studied materials, and repeated countless prototypes...
Now, I can proudly say, "I make scissor cases for hairdressers' scissors."

"BLINK-ness" revealed through the exhibition

Leather products displayed at the TEIBANTEN exhibition booth

At this exhibition, although we primarily displayed our new tote bags intended for office workers, surprisingly, it was the "scissor cases," which are at the heart of BLINK, that received a lot of attention.

I received many wonderful comments such as, "I'm not a hairdresser, but I want one," "I want to use it as a pouch," and "I want to give it to a hairdresser friend." It was a pleasant surprise.

As a hairdresser, as a leather craftsman

Even now, I go to a hair salon in Kyoto a few days a month, where I attend to about 80 clients.
There, I check the usability of the scissor cases, and if I find any areas for improvement, I take them back to the workshop to update them.

This is a significant "strength" for BLINK SCISSORS CASE.

Continuing genuine craftsmanship

Although we still have much to learn, we will continue to create products with honesty and authenticity.
And we would be delighted to carefully deliver our scissor cases to those who resonate with our passion.