Kai is the parent company of Kershaw, I believe. They make Shun and a bunch of other brands.
About KAI Group
KAI, the history of cutlery.
KAI is a company that currently manufactures, sells, exports and imports more than 10,000 different kinds of cutlery and cutting tools, ranging from kitchen utensils to cosmetic accessories and surgical implements.
KAI started in 1908 as a small pocket-knife factory in the city of Seki, which is known in Japan as the City of Good Swordsmen.
Even though the company has become large, one principle, nokaji (blacksmith)'s spirit, has been consistently upheld by KAI. "The nokaji strives to make blades that are suited to the daily lives of people by bringing to bear on the task all his craftsmanship and all his heart."
KAI is to find an answer to the question: "how can we bring the spirit of the nokaji into the 21st century?"
head office
kai corporation
Head Office Address
3-9-5 Iwamoto-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-8586, Japan
Founded
1908
President & CEO
Koji Endo
Business Description
Marketing of cutlery, kitchen utensils, beauty care products, confectionery utensils, etc.
Registered Capital
450 million yen
Number of Employees
2,615(March 2010, consolidated basis)
Sales
41.3 billion yen (March 2008, consolidated basis)
Timeline
1908
Saijiro Endo set up business in the city of Seki
1920
Established Joint-Stock Company Endo Hamono Seisakujo to produce pocketknives
1932
Established Seki Anzen Kamisori Seizo Joint-Stock Company and began production of the first replaceable blade razor in Japan.
1936
Dissolved Seki Safety Razor Seizo Joint-Stock Company to establish Nihon Safety Razor Co., Ltd.
1940
Changed corporate name from Nihon Safety Razor Co., Ltd. to Nihon Anzen Kamisori Co., Ltd.
1947
Saijiro Endo II established Feather Shokai Co. Ltd. in Nagoya and started wholesaling razors and cutlery.
1949
Established Joint-Stock Company Sanwa Shokai in Tokyo.
1951
Established Sanwa Blade Manufacturing, Ltd. and started production of Kai-branded lightweight, convenient long-bladed razors
1954
Merged Feather Shokai and Sanwa Shokai to establish Sanwa Co. Ltd.
1956
Set up a trade division inside the company to export cutlery
1967
Changed corporate name from Sanwa Co. Ltd. to Sanwa Hamono Kogyo Co. Ltd.
1968
Built the Oyana Factory
1971
Established Endo Hamono Seisakujyo and started production of kitchen knives.
1973
Started production of scissors at Sanwa Hamono Kogyo Co. Ltd.
1977
Established kai cutlery U.S.A. ltd. in Portland, Oregon
1978
Established kai cutlery (H.K.) ltd.
1980
Established kai cutlery (Europe) GmbH in Solingen, Germany.
1982
Changed corporate name from Sanwa Hamono Kogyo Co. Ltd. to Kaijirushi Hamono Co. Ltd.
1984
Started production of scalpels.
1988
Introduced a new identity to relaunch the new Kaijirushi Group
1990
Launched K-II, a blade-replaceable dispo-razor
1992
Consolidated 6 manufacturing companies and changed the corporate name to Kai Industries Co., Ltd.
1993
Established Mi Kai Housewares Co., Ltd. (joint venture) in Guangdong, China and started operations
1995
Established G.T.I. Cutlery Co. Ltd. (joint venture) in Guangdong, China and started operations
1996
Started locally-based production of Kai USA pocketknives
Shanghai Kai Cutlery Co., Ltd, the Asian production hub for razors and beauty products, goes into full-scale operation.
1998
Launched K-3, the world’s first replaceable 3-blade razor
1999
Launched Lady K-3, the world’s first replaceable 3-blade razor for women
2000
Aligned all development divisions into the Kai Cutlery Development Center Co., Ltd. to leverage operations.
2004
Renewed the overall corporate message, corporate mission, code of conduct and corporate philosophy of the Kaijirushi Group
Launched K-4 TETRA, a replaceable 4-blade razor
Remodeled the first and second floors of theTokyo Head office and opened “Kai House”
2005
Launched Michel Bras kitchen knife line-up (co-development with Michelin’s 3-star chef) in Europe and the United States.
Established KAI vietnam co.,ltd. in Hanoi City, Vietnam
2006
Acquired all stocks for Universal Razor Industries (razor / beauty care product joint venture company in the US) and made it a subsidiary
2007
Established Kaijirushi Korea Co. Ltd. in Korea.
2008
100th anniversary
Established KAI R&D (Guangzhou) co.,ltd. in Guangdong, China
Established Lampas Inc.