KAI Group Announces Winner of the 'KAI Award' at HERALBONY Art Prize 2026 Hosted by HERALBONY

KAI Group Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Hiroaki Endo), a global manufacturer of cutting tools, announced that it has selected the artwork "Overlapping Series, Series of Overlaps" by Rei Mokoreko as the corporate prize winner, the "KAI Award," at the international art award "HERALBONY Art Prize 2026 Presented by Tokyo Tatemono | Brillia," hosted by HERALBONY Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture, hereinafter "HERALBONY").

Rei Mokoreko (Japan), "Overlapping Series, Series of Overlaps" (2025) / KAI Award

About the Winning Work

Rei Mokoreko, creator of this work, produces diverse expressions across painting, illustration, and three-dimensional art with a free-spirited approach unbound by materials or techniques. Drawing inspiration from everyday objects, nature, and the human body, her creative output spans a wide range of scales—from 6 cm magnets to 14 m × 4.8 m shop windows—and features tones ranging from monochrome to vibrant color. For her, painting serves as a form of "sublimation" for unrequited love and a means to "digest" an adolescence shaped by others' expectations.

This piece was created through a meditative process of continuously placing colored dots, resulting in thick impasto that creates depth. A defining characteristic is the sense of life imbued in each irregular dot.

Selection Rationale and Company Message

Since its founding, KAI has upheld the "spirit of the village blacksmith," delivering ease and richness to people's daily lives through tools that support everyday living. The layered oil paint, delicate shading, and rhythmic composition evident in this artwork resonate with KAI's core values of balancing "sharpness and gentleness" and creating new value while respecting diverse sensibilities.

With the hope of forging a future where diverse individualities naturally shine within society, KAI selected this unique work that embodies one-of-a-kind harmony for the KAI Award.

As a Japan-based global company, KAI aims to clearly communicate its commitment to respecting diverse perspectives both domestically and internationally. Through its participation in this prize, the company will continue striving to generate social value and further enhance its corporate branding.

Future Plans

The winning artwork is scheduled to be used in the design of KAI's "Kamikamisori®" (Paper Razor). "Kamikamisori®" is a portable, design-conscious product developed by KAI—Japan's No.1 brand in the domestic disposable razor market※—leveraging decades of expertise as a global cutting tool manufacturer. By using paper for the handle and metal for the blade unit (including the entire head), the product reimagines the razor as a plastic-free item.

Ahead of November 8, “Good Blade Day,” KAI will translate the artwork’s colors, rhythm, and texture into everyday products, offering users a new experience of encountering art during their daily grooming routines. Further details on the rollout will be announced as they become available.

※ Intage SRI+ Data, Disposable Razor Market, estimated sales volume from July 2024 to June 2025

"HERALBONY Art Prize 2026 Exhibition Presented by Tokyo Tatemono | Brillia"

HERALBONY Co., Ltd., the organizer of this award, established the international art award "HERALBONY Art Prize 2024" on January 31, 2024—"I Sai (Unique Colors) Day"—with the aim of providing a platform for artists with disabilities worldwide to showcase their creative power regardless of professional status, age, or nationality, and to support the emergence of new artistic careers. This year marks the third edition of the prize, receiving 2,943 works from 1,342 artists across 77 countries and regions.

Since May 30, the winning works, including the Grand Prix, along with all 62 finalists, have been exhibited at Earth Garden, located on the first floor of the Mitsui Sumitomo Bank East Building in Tokyo's Otemachi district—one of Japan’s largest galleries.

KAI Group Co., Ltd.

Founded in 1908 in Seki City, Gifu Prefecture—a town renowned for its cutlery—KAI Group develops, produces, and sells approximately 10,000 products, including razors, nail clippers, beauty tools, kitchen knives, confectionery tools, and medical cutting instruments. As a global cutting tool manufacturer, KAI handles all aspects from product planning and development to production, sales, and logistics.

Headquarters: 3-9-5 Iwamoto-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

President and CEO: Hiroaki Endo https://www.kai-group.com

Inquiries from Readers Regarding This Announcement

KAI Group Co., Ltd. Customer Service Center

〒101-8586 3-9-5 Iwamoto-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

TEL: 0120-016-410 (Toll-free, Hikari Wide)

https://www.kai-group.com