Masunaga spectacles: The history
There is one thing that makes Masunaga spectacles famous. And that is the utmost quality of materials and craftmanship. Masunaga spectacles originated in Fukui more than 100 years ago. Fukui, Japan is one of the three largest production regions for optical frames in the world, along with Italy and China. 97% of Japanese-made optical frames are from Fukui.
Masunaga is the founder of the optical industry in Fukui, starting the production in 1905. Masunaga brought skilled craftsmen from Osaka and Tokyo with the ambition of setting the optical industry solidly in place in Fukui.
Today: 200 hand processes to one frame
There are as many as 200 manual processes involved in making a Masunaga spectacles frame. Productivity is low, because the utmost importance is given to quality.
Masunaga is the only company in Japan that own all the processes for eyewear manufacturing, from raw materials to finish, in an integrated way.
Get your Masunaga glasses in Singapore with premium lenses at Visio Optical!
Masunaga does not rush the process. It takes no shortcuts, it makes no compromises in the creation of each frame.
Masunaga features beautifully hand polished Japanese acetate, durable seven barrel hinges, distinctive rivets, light-weight titanium arms.
Masunaga collection confirms its mission for over a century, to manufacture excellent eyeglasses.
Masunaga collections and special editions
Beyond the main line, Masunaga produces collections and limited editions that are made in very small numbers. Visio Optical offers full collections and special editions, including Masunaga’s Kenzo series and Masunaga MOC (Masters of Craft), which is limited to 150 pieces worldwide.
Individual models are often asked after by name, Lex and Radio City among them. Which one suits comes down to the shape of the face, the width across the temples and where the bridge sits, so the sensible way to judge a shape is with the frame on rather than on a screen.
There is more on the range, with photographs, in Masunaga in Singapore.
Seeing Masunaga in Singapore
Visio Optical is an independent, fitting-led boutique optician in Holland Village, Singapore, and has been fitting frames for nearly twenty years. Frames are chosen in small, considered quantities, each one for how it fits and feels on a person rather than simply for how it looks on a display.
Photographs are useful for inspiration, but proportion, balance and comfort can only really be judged with the frame on the face. Many frames are designed around a higher bridge profile, and particular attention is paid to fit for Asian facial features, so a frame sits securely without slipping or resting on the cheeks.
If Japanese making is what draws you, Matsuda is worth seeing alongside Masunaga, and there is a closer look at the details in We love Masunaga.