Craftsman's Passion for Making Glasses
Traditions Passed Down in Sabae
The 38th year of Meiji (1905). Fukui, Japan, in the midst of the Russo-Japanese War. Yoneda Yohachi, an Osaka optician invited by Masunaga Gozaemon, taught young people of Sabae the art of eyeglasses making. The young craftsmen, who were passionate about learning the skills, also received guidance from Tokyo-based master optician Matsutaro Toyoshima, who was invited the following year. The community then grew through friendly rivalry.
As a livelihood during winter
Echizen washi paper, Echizen lacquerware, and other traditional crafts still exist today. Handicrafts flourished in this region, where traditional crafts still remain.
The diligence of using time during snowy winters, the perseverance of facing their handicrafts, the passion to become richer, and passion to become richer, and a desire to be more affluent. The glasses making has taken root in this region due to the above various factors.
Sabae during the war
Supplies were limited in Japan during the war years. Many industries were interrupted and discontinued the transmission of their skills. In Sabae, however, there was demand for eyeglasses for soldiers, and the skills developed through the production of eyeglasses were recognized and used to produce radio equipment and other products. In this way, the tradition of technology was preserved.
Forming production areas that continue to this day
After the war ended, the vast grounds of the Sabae Infantry 36th Regiment, located in the center of Sabae, were sold to the private sector and transformed into a cluster of eyeglasses factories. This concentration of factories is considered to be one of the factors behind Sabae's success as a regional industrial cluster in Japan.
Passion, wisdom, and experience
The most important factor in the development of Sabae's eyeglasses industry was the passion of its craftsmen. They gathered all the skills related to eyeglasses in Sabae and worked on research and development of materials and machine tools, and improvement of manufacturing processes. They worked on research and development of materials and machine tools, as well as improvements in the manufacturing process. Each company competed with each other, and through the accumulation of experience, each company developed its own unique strengths.
The thoughts and mission of an optician
Sabae eyeglasses are designed to be light and well-designed, yet easy to fit securely to each individual's face. Sabae frames are flexible enough to be easily adjusted by eyeglasses fitters, yet durable enough not to hold back when putting effort into them. Each craftsman involves in the eyewear industry is committed to provide the highest level of comfort. Each craftsman involved in eyeglasses continues to create frames with a common desire and sense of mission.
The whole area is a big factory
Today, 96% of all eyeglasses frames in Japan are made in Sabae. Each specialized vendor has honed its expertise by dividing the work by parts. There are more than 170 establishments (with 4 or more employees) involved in eyeglasses production. The Sabae area is "one big factory”.
The world's highest quality eyewear is not only available in Japan but also the rest of the world. The development of new materials and advanced processing technologies has also spread to other fields besides eyeglasses, such as medical equipment and precision instruments. It has been about 120 years since eyeglasses were first made in Sabae. We will continue to make glasses with passion and pride in Sabae, aiming for the best comfort. We will continue to strive for the highest level of comfort and quality.
Stuff the frame into a backpack
The founder, Yoshihiko Umeda, was involved in the manufacture of eyeglass frames before World War II. He later became independent and started by making parts of frames. After returning from the war, he started manufacturing eyeglasses frames as "Umeda Shoten”. Carrying a backpack filled with the finished frames, he traveled from Sabae to Hokkaido along the Sea of Japan. The company began selling eyeglasses frames to opticians along the Sea of Japan route from Sabae to Hokkaido. This is the origin of a wholesaler, which is rare in the eyeglasses production area of Sabae, where original frames are the main product. After that, the company changed its name to "Orient Optician's Association," and was established on August 6, 1968. to present "Orient Eyeglasses Co.
Founder Yoshihiko Umeda
In 2024, Orient Optics celebrates 77 years in business. We will continue to provide reliable quality eyewear from Sabae.
※Some of the photos on this page were provided by Digital Archive Fukui.
