Before Shun Cutlery was established in the western market, most people were used to heavy European-style kitchen knives.

With Shun’s entry into the marketplace, home cooks and professional chefs alike were introduced to the lightweight precision of fine Japanese cutlery. Thinner blades, sharper edges, and lighter weight gave Shun a high-performance edge that the heavier knives couldn’t match.

A Tradition of Quality

While the Shun brand is relatively young, its pedigree goes back much, much farther. Over 112 years ago—in a city with a blade-making tradition that itself goes back over 800 years—Saijiro Endo first set up shop in Japan’s famous Seki City. Initially, the company produced folding knives, then razors, and in time, kitchen cutlery. Eventually, the company would be known as Kai Cutlery; today it is the Kai Group.

A direct descendant of the company’s founder, Kai Chairman and CEO, Koji Endo, conceived the bold idea of bringing high-quality Japanese cutlery to the US and European markets. He named the brand “Shun,” which refers to the Japanese tradition of fresh, seasonal eating, and even designed the logo still used today.

Handcrafted in Japan

The challenge for Endo and the new brand would be to maintain the extreme quality for which Japanese cutlery is prized, while producing it in quantities that would meet growing demands. For Endo, it was vital to maintain the tradition of handcrafting each knife.

Today, the tradition endures. Each Shun still takes at least 100 handcrafted steps to complete and Shun remains true to its ancient heritage of quality. At the same time, Shun takes advantage of thoroughly modern, premium materials and state-of-the-art technology to provide that traditional quality to millions of professional chefs and avid home cooks throughout the world.

Today, Shun has become one of the most well-known names in kitchen cutlery. It has won awards for innovation and quality. It has been admired and emulated. With new styles, new materials, and an ongoing dedication to the spirit of innovation, Shun will continue to provide Japanese kitchen cutlery of outstanding beauty, impeccable precision, and the very highest performance.