CREATING THE FUTURE

In a history dating back over 100 years, the KAI group, based in Tokyo, is renowned for its superbly functional, incisive and durable cutting tools and related products. These traits have positioned KAI’s products among the world’s best.
The common denominator - quality and perfection - is based on the centuries-old tradition and culture of the Japanese Samurai sword smithy.
KAI’s product line consists of over 10,000 different items, positioning the KAI group among the leading cutlery manufacturers worldwide. KAI was founded by Saijiro Endo 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."
In 1977 Kai starts working outside Japan, with the first cutlery Established in the United States, in Portland, Oregon.
KAI has been operating on the European market through its subsidiary in Germany, KAI Europe GmbH, since 1980 and has successfully established itself with various products exhibiting quality, functionality and technology.
It is in 1992 that KAI Consolidated his companies and changed officially the corporate name to Kai Industries Co.

The joy of professional cooking and preparing the tastiest titbits has returned in recent years. This passion produces completely new and surprising culinary experiences in ever expanding culinary worlds. Traditional ingredients are combined with modern ideas. Both the quest for change and the curiosity for pastures new are large.

This is one of the reasons why the exoticism of the Japanese cuisine and art of cooking fascinates so many Europeans.
Japanese are thinking holistically, therefore cooking, art and philosophy are inseparable. As the saying goes: “it’s a feast for the eyes”. Well-perfected cutting techniques produce fascinating decorations and lend the food its very special Japanese flair.

This is the reason why KAI focuses on professional chef’s knife series. The knives are stylish and distinctly useful. They combine perfect design and modern technology with a hint of Far Eastern dining culture.
Following these demands KAI developed an extensive product portfolio stretching from the traditional Japanese chef’s knife to those knife series in a very modern design.

The Shun chef’s knife series is one of the world’s most extensive knife series made of damask steel. It is well received among the cooking elite and ambitious hobby chefs. Shun professional chef’s knives are made from a newly developed stainless damask steel with 32 layers. The inner layer is made from V-gold-10 steel. This steel is highly resistant to corrosion, extremely hard and the reason for the blade being incomparably and lastingly sharp.
The convex blade profile in combination with the hand honing of each Shun knife makes for an unrivalled sharpness that allows the knife to glide softly through even the toughest foodstuffs. Paired with the knife’s well-balanced weight this sharpness allows for non-fatigue work.
The refinement of the natural beauty of the damask structure gives each SHUN knife its unique and individual character. Thus every single SHUN knife is turned into a unique specimen – a piece of art that combines craftsmanship, technology and design. The SHUN chef’s knife series has adapted the manufacturing technique for the finest chef’s knives - which derives from the Japanese way of forging Samurai swords - to the production of Western-style blades.

The SHUN PRO series complements the SHUN chef’s knife series with its traditional Japanese single-edged blade shapes. The blades are made from the core material of the damask steel series – the V-gold-10 steel.
This top-of-the-range series of Japanese chef’s knives is not only held in high esteem by Sushi chefs all over the world. It is also increasingly popular among European chefs. The single-edged blade with its hollow ground cut on the opposite side provides a unique cutting experience not known to most European blade shapes.