Celebrating Over 111 Years

Dedicated to innovation, quality, and our customers

For over 111 years, Kai has been making innovative products, delivering unmatched customer service, and building an internationally recognized name. Today, Kai and its core consumer brands are expanding across the globe, touching the daily lives of people worldwide.

Founded in 1908

The company that would become Kai was founded in Japan’s Seki City in 1908. For over 800 years, Seki City has been the center of Japan’s fine blade-making tradition. Kai’s first products were folding knives, each one made with all the quality, precision, and craftsmanship that made Seki City famous. Next, the company expanded into the manufacture of razors and kitchen cutlery. Today, the Kai Group provides over 10,000 products worldwide, ranging from housewares and fine cutlery to pocketknives, beauty care, and medical products.

Customer-focused

The company’s philosophy is summed up in its corporate motto: “To more people, better products.” Kai strives toward this goal every day, producing products designed to help improve the daily lives of its customers. Whether it’s the perfect kitchen knife for preparing a family meal, a work-tough pocketknife to accomplish on-the-job tasks, or the extreme precision of a life-saving surgical blade, Kai products are a part of their customers’ lives.

110 years is just the beginning

The Kai Group’s North American business is Kai USA Ltd. Established in the 1970s, Kai USA provides its customers with the best in sporting and every day carrying knives, tactical and professional knives, and fine, high-performance kitchen cutlery. In its state-of-the-art factory in Tualatin, Oregon, Kai USA manufactures over one million pocketknives annually for its Kershaw and Zero Tolerance brands and employs almost 300 local Oregonians in manufacturing, logistics, sales and service, and research and development. All Zero Tolerance knives, and many Kershaw knives are produced locally. Shun Cutlery is exclusively handcrafted in Japan, while Kai Housewares products are produced in Kai facilities throughout the world.

As the Kai Group continues to innovate and provide a wide range of high-quality products, it will continue to earn both the trust of its customers and a bright future.