MINAMOTO: Back to the Purest Starting Point of Eyewear
In the eyewear industry, “Made in Sabae” is shorthand for quality.
Sabae City, in Japan’s Fukui Prefecture, is the birthplace of Japanese eyewear production, and the place where titanium frame fabrication matured into a craft. The skills here have been passed down through generations of artisans, and much of the work — cutting, welding, surface finishing — is still checked by hand and by experience.
MINAMOTO was born here.
“MINAMOTO” means “origin” or “source” in Japanese. The name isn’t just wordplay — it’s a statement: a return to the purest starting point of eyewear making, in pursuit of nothing but making every pair of glasses well.
Four Places Where MINAMOTO’s Care Shows
Namely: what the frame is made of, how the temple arms attach, how the case is made, and what the design has to show for itself. None of the four is a big thing on its own. Together they are what this brand looks like.
The Material Is Japanese Pure Titanium
MINAMOTO says one thing about its material: it uses Japanese pure titanium.
To hear what’s in that sentence, it helps to know how pure titanium and titanium alloy differ as materials:
| Material property | Pure titanium | Titanium alloy (e.g. Ti-6Al-4V) |
|---|---|---|
| Composition | Predominantly titanium, with very low levels of other elements | Titanium base with aluminum, vanadium, and other metals added |
| Weight | Low density, far lighter than stainless steel | Also titanium-based, and equally light |
| Strength and hardness | Relatively lower, softer to the touch | Relatively higher |
| Forming and machining | Soft, with spring-back that’s hard to control; demanding to shape | Easier to machine and produce at scale |
| Skin friendliness | Titanium has high biocompatibility and is widely used in medical implants | Also titanium-based, with other metal elements present |
There’s no winner in that table, only trade-offs. Pure titanium is hard to work with because it’s soft and its spring-back is hard to predict; bending it into a frame that’s both structurally sound and comfortable comes down to process and handwork. That’s why the origin and artisan tradition behind a pure titanium frame keep coming up.
Screwless Hinge Design
Traditional frames hold their temple arms on with metal screws, which tend to loosen over time and need periodic tightening at an optical shop.
MINAMOTO does away with screws entirely, using a precision titanium-spring locking structure instead — the temple arms are held by the structural strength of the titanium spring itself, with no reliance on screws to keep the joint together.
The benefits:
- No more loose screws, eliminating a recurring maintenance headache
- Cleaner, more minimal lines with no extra hardware
- The titanium spring structure provides just the right amount of flex in the temple arms, for a better, closer fit
Handcrafted Fukui Washi Paper Case
Every MINAMOTO frame comes with a case made from traditional Fukui washi paper craftsmanship.
Echizen washi paper, from Fukui Prefecture, has a history of more than 1,500 years and is recognized as an important part of Japan’s intangible cultural heritage. The grain of the paper on every case varies slightly, making each one a genuinely handmade object.
This detail isn’t just for show. It reflects MINAMOTO’s overall approach to craftsmanship, from the product itself to its packaging: every detail deserves to be taken seriously.
Whether the Design Is Good Shouldn’t Be the Brand’s Call: iF Design Award 2022
MINAMOTO won an iF Design Award for product design in 2022.
In eyewear, it costs a brand nothing to call its own work “masterfully crafted,” and nobody can really argue with it. What’s different about this award: the jury has no relationship with the brand, and the record is there to check. Though a design award judges design — how a frame wears is a separate question.
Inspired by the Films of Akira Kurosawa
Each MINAMOTO series is named after a character from a film by the Japanese director Akira Kurosawa:
| Series Name | Kurosawa Film | Character Traits |
|---|---|---|
| Sanjuro | Sanjuro (1962) | Rugged, unbound by convention |
| Kaede | Ran (1985) | Elegant, with quiet, restrained strength |
| Yukihime | The Hidden Fortress (1958) | Firm resolve softened by grace |
Choosing Kurosawa as the brand’s cultural anchor isn’t just a tribute to a filmmaking master — it borrows a theme that runs through his films: form serves substance, and craftsmanship always comes before surface beauty.
Who Is MINAMOTO For?
MINAMOTO isn’t designed for people chasing a new style every season. It’s made for:
People who wear glasses long hours (12+ hours a day) Pure titanium is light to begin with, and the temple arms are a screwless flexible structure. After a full day on your face, the pressure behind your ears and on your nose bridge comes out lower than a heavier frame would leave there.
People with sensitive skin or metal allergies Titanium is widely used in medical implants and has high biocompatibility. If wearing stainless steel, copper alloy, or frames containing other metal elements has given you trouble, a pure titanium frame is a common alternative. That’s if metal is genuinely the cause: skin reactions have more than one, and if yours won’t clear up, it’s safer to have a dermatologist look at it first.
Anyone who appreciates craftsmanship detail People who can appreciate “the precision of a single joint” or “the texture of a surface finish” usually have the same first reaction when they put on MINAMOTO: “this build quality isn’t what I expected.”
People who don’t want to replace their frame every year A well-made pure titanium frame, properly cared for, will keep going for years (lens prescription aside). MINAMOTO’s design is deliberately understated and doesn’t chase trends, so it still looks right five years from now.
MINAMOTO at Beyond Visual Optometry
We carry the MINAMOTO series at our Xinzhuang store, so you can try it on for yourself.
The lightness of a titanium frame doesn’t come across in photos, and neither does the feel of the washi paper case — both need to be experienced in person. If you care about frame materials, or you’re looking for a Japanese-crafted frame you can wear for the long haul, we’d suggest coming in to try it on — it feels completely different from what you’d expect from pictures.
FAQ
Q: MINAMOTO and Lindberg are both pure titanium — what’s the difference?
Both are high-end pure titanium frames, but with different design philosophies. Lindberg is built around “extreme lightness plus Scandinavian minimalism,” with a nose-pad-free design and weights as low as 1.9 grams. MINAMOTO emphasizes “Sabae craftsmanship heritage plus Kurosawa-inspired cultural aesthetics,” prioritizing structural presence and Japanese craftsmanship warmth alongside its light weight. Which one to choose comes down to whether you prefer Nordic design language or Japanese craft aesthetics.
Q: Do pure titanium frames need special care?
Pure titanium resists corrosion and doesn’t rust easily, so day-to-day care is the same as any other frame: avoid prolonged contact with salt water or acidic substances (like frequent sweating during sports), and wipe regularly with a lens cloth. If the frame gets misaligned, bring it into the store for adjustment rather than bending it yourself — although pure titanium has some memory elasticity, excessive bending can still cause metal fatigue.
Q: Where in Xinzhuang can I try on MINAMOTO?
Beyond Visual Optometry (Xinzhuang, Biyang Optometry) carries the MINAMOTO series for in-person try-on. Optometrist YoYo can help recommend the best frame shape and size based on your facial features and prescription (especially lens thickness considerations for high myopia).
Sabae manufacturing is a good starting point, but it’s still only a place of origin.
Whether a frame ends up working comes down to its relationship with your face: the height of your nose bridge, where your ears sit, how wide your face is, and how thick your lenses will be. Beautifully made frames still pinch at the temples if the size is wrong. Get the size right, then have every angle adjusted by hand, and a frame finally becomes yours.
The MINAMOTO range can be tried on at our Xinzhuang store. Bring your prescription and we’ll factor in how thick the lenses will look, too.