Samurai-sword scissors developed by a manufacturer in Gifu Prefecture are proving to be popular souvenirs for foreign tourists as well as schoolchildren.

Shaped like katana, these scissors by Nikken Cutlery Co. in Seki are decorated with details found on traditional swords used by such feudal-era figures as Oda Nobunaga, a 16th-century warlord, and Sakamoto Ryoma, who tried to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate in the 19th century.

The product idea was hatched in 2014 during an after-hours conversation at a coffee shop between Yuji Kumada, a 33-year-old senior official of Nikken Cutlery, and his two younger colleagues.