Shun Cutlery is a

kitchen knife A kitchen knife is any knife that is intended to be used in food preparation. While much of this work can be accomplished with a few general-purpose knives — notably a large chef's knife and a smaller serrated blade utility knife — there ...

brand of the KAI Group, headquartered in

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. In the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, Shun is sold by Kai USA in

Tualatin, Oregon Tualatin ( ) is a city located primarily in Washington County, Oregon, Washington County in the U.S. state of Oregon. A small portion of the city is also located in neighboring Clackamas County, Oregon, Clackamas County. It is a southwestern sub ...

—alongside the Kershaw Knives and Zero Tolerance Knives brands.

History

The origins of the Kai Group date back to 1908, when founder Saijiro Endo established the company in Seki City, Japan. The company produced various cutlery throughout the 20th century, including folding knives, razors, and kitchen cutlery. In 2002, Kai introduced the Shun Cutlery brand to the Western market. All Shun knives are currently made in Seki City and are distributed to over 30 countries.

Awards

Shun has been recognized at the annual

Blade Show The Blade Show is an annual tradeshow for the cutlery industry. It is the largest event of its type in the world. The show is owned by Caribou Media Group and is hosted by Blade Magazine. The event has over 1,000 exhibitors and is the host for i ...

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

.Shackleford, Steve (2007). "Hand Salute the Blade Magazine Knives of the Year". Blade Magazine. November 2007 Additionally, International Forum Design presented the Shun/Ken Onion Chef's Knife with an iF Product Design Award in 2005.

Products

Shun Cutlery produces several lines of kitchen knives in Seki City, Japan. Shun Series * Classic * Classic Pro * Dual Core * Fuji * Hikari * Hiro * Kaji * Kanso * Premier * Shun Blue * Sora

Appearances in media

A Shun Hollow-Ground Slicing Knife appeared in season 3 of ''

Hannibal Hannibal (; ; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Punic people, Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Ancient Carthage, Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War. Hannibal's fat ...

''. A Classic Bird's Beak knife also made an appearance on ''

True Detective ''True Detective'' is an American Anthology series, anthology Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Nic Pizzolatto for the premium cable network HBO. The series premiered on January 12, 2014, and ...

''. A set of Shun Premier cutlery was seen on the season 4 finale of ''

The Blacklist ''The Blacklist'' is an American crime thriller television series created by Jon Bokenkamp and developed by John Eisendrath. It stars James Spader as Raymond Reddington, an international criminal and one of the FBI's Most Wanted fugitives ...

''. Outdoorsman Steven Rinella also used a Premier Chef's Knife on season 5 of '' MeatEater''. Mystery writer

Jeffery Deaver Jeffery Deaver (born May 6, 1950) is an American mystery and crime writer. He has a bachelor of journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a J.D. degree from Fordham University and originally started working as a journalist. He lat ...

included a Shun Premier Slicing Knife in the crime novel ''The Kill Room''. A virtual Shun knife is an award in the mobile game '' Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff''.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (; born Rachel Meghan Markle, August 4, 1981) is an American member of the British royal family, media personality, entrepreneur, and former actress. She is married to Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, the younger son ...

, was featured in the first season of ''With Love, Meghan'' cutting foods with the Shun Classic hollow-ground santoku knife in Blonde and the Shun Classic paring knife in Onyx.

References

External links

* {{Knives 2002 establishments in Oregon Companies based in Tualatin, Oregon Knife manufacturing companies Manufacturing companies established in 2002 Japanese brands