Masunaga has a well-earned reputation for restraint. Since the family behind the brand effectively founded the Japanese eyewear industry in Fukui in 1905, the company has built its name on a philosophy of simplicity — a simple appearance that eliminates waste and elaborate workmanship. That approach earned Masunaga the first-ever gold prize awarded to a Japanese brand at the Silmo d'Or, the most prestigious recognition in international eyewear.
Then they decided to do something completely different.
Masunaga MOC is available on request: If you are interested in Masunaga MOC, contact our customer service here
A new challenge, set from within
MOC — Masters of Craft — is Masunaga's answer to a question the brand asked itself: what happens when we pour every uncompromising technique we have cultivated into a single collection, with no constraints on complexity?
The standard Masunaga line is celebrated for what it leaves out. MOC is defined by what it puts in. Not as excess for its own sake, but as a deliberate demonstration that the same craftspeople who excel at restraint can also master ornamentation — and that true craft means having the skill to do both.
"Can it be achieved or not?" According to Masunaga, their craftsmen do not talk about limits. MOC is what that culture produces when pointed at a new kind of challenge.
150 pieces. No more.
Each MOC model is produced in a limited batch of 150 pieces worldwide. The collection is available exclusively through 100 select retailers globally — Sun of Japan among them.
Once a model sells out, it is retired. This isn't a marketing position. It's a direct consequence of how MOC is made. The production specifications are so demanding — the tolerances so fine, the materials so carefully selected — that volume production isn't possible without compromising the standard. The batch size is a function of the process, not a choice made afterwards.
What goes into a MOC frame
The craftsmanship detail in MOC is worth understanding, because it explains both why the frames look the way they do and why they feel the way they do in your hands.
Sterling silver 925 decoration. Each MOC frame features decorative elements handcrafted in sterling silver, defined by a precise grid pattern. The contours are sharp, the finish deliberate — a presence, as Masunaga describes it, found nowhere else in eyewear.
Original acetate, up to 10mm thick. The acetate used in MOC is custom-made and layered — built up in original-coloured strata that create depth visible through the surface of the frame. Depending on the model, fronts reach 8mm or 10mm in thickness, sculpted with bold side shields that are carved by hand. The signature MOC Burgundy colourway was recreated from a small quantity of archival fabric found in Masunaga's production records — a colour that had never been made in large quantities and couldn't simply be reordered.
5-micron 18-karat gold plating. The gold plating applied to MOC's bridge, top bar, nose pads, and temples is ten times thicker than standard gold plating. At 5 microns, the surface has been hand-polished by craftspeople before application — because at this level of precision, the plating cannot accept even the slightest correction after it is applied. There is no margin for error and no going back.
The Edition 120. To mark Masunaga's 120th anniversary, MOC 004, 005, and 006 were each produced in a special Edition 120 variant — limited to just 30 pieces each — featuring bold layers of pure gold plating that shift dramatically in different light. These are among the most technically demanding frames the brand has ever produced.
The MOC medallion. Set into the left temple tip of every MOC frame is a solid sterling silver medallion, cast and finished with an oxidised surface. Its design draws inspiration from the steering wheel of a racing car — a small, specific detail that rewards the person wearing the frame more than anyone looking at it from the outside.
Mineral glass lenses. MOC frames come fitted with 1.5mm mineral glass lenses — thinner than standard glass at this specification, with back-side anti-reflective coating and optical clarity that synthetic lenses don't match.
Double shield nose pads. The nose pads use a two-layer construction — a titanium base pad and a gold-plated main pad — with grooves carved into the surface to reduce slippage. Even the components that aren't visible when the frame is worn are finished to the same standard as those that are.
Three Wide rim wire. The titanium rim wire used in MOC was developed specifically for this collection — a custom mould, 3.5mm wide, patterned with three lines. The name and inspiration come from Formula 1 racing. The result is a rim profile that exists nowhere else in eyewear.
What MOC means in the context of Masunaga
Masunaga's main line represents over a century of refinement toward simplicity. MOC represents what that century of accumulated skill looks like when applied to complexity instead.
The two lines are different in character but identical in discipline. In MOC, Masunaga has, in their own words, "tamed even the excess" — bringing the same precision to decoration that they bring to minimalism, and proving that mastery of craft has no single expression.
MOC at Sun of Japan
We carry Masunaga MOC because it is the most technically demanding collection the brand has ever produced — and Masunaga is already one of the most technically demanding brands in Japanese eyewear. If you want to understand what Sabae craftsmanship looks like at its furthest reach, a MOC frame is the clearest answer.
Contact our customer service to order your new pair of Masunaga MOC: contact our customer service here
Masunaga MOC: when the masters of Japanese eyewear set out to surpass themselves
Masunaga has a well-earned reputation for restraint. Since the family behind the brand effectively founded the Japanese eyewear industry in Fukui in 1905, the company has built its name on a philosophy of simplicity — a simple appearance that eliminates waste and elaborate workmanship. That approach earned Masunaga the first-ever gold prize awarded to a Japanese brand at the Silmo d'Or, the most prestigious recognition in international eyewear.
Then they decided to do something completely different.
Masunaga MOC is available on request: If you are interested in Masunaga MOC, contact our customer service here
A new challenge, set from within
MOC — Masters of Craft — is Masunaga's answer to a question the brand asked itself: what happens when we pour every uncompromising technique we have cultivated into a single collection, with no constraints on complexity?
The standard Masunaga line is celebrated for what it leaves out. MOC is defined by what it puts in. Not as excess for its own sake, but as a deliberate demonstration that the same craftspeople who excel at restraint can also master ornamentation — and that true craft means having the skill to do both.
"Can it be achieved or not?" According to Masunaga, their craftsmen do not talk about limits. MOC is what that culture produces when pointed at a new kind of challenge.
150 pieces. No more.
Each MOC model is produced in a limited batch of 150 pieces worldwide. The collection is available exclusively through 100 select retailers globally — Sun of Japan among them.
Once a model sells out, it is retired. This isn't a marketing position. It's a direct consequence of how MOC is made. The production specifications are so demanding — the tolerances so fine, the materials so carefully selected — that volume production isn't possible without compromising the standard. The batch size is a function of the process, not a choice made afterwards.
What goes into a MOC frame
The craftsmanship detail in MOC is worth understanding, because it explains both why the frames look the way they do and why they feel the way they do in your hands.
Sterling silver 925 decoration. Each MOC frame features decorative elements handcrafted in sterling silver, defined by a precise grid pattern. The contours are sharp, the finish deliberate — a presence, as Masunaga describes it, found nowhere else in eyewear.
Original acetate, up to 10mm thick. The acetate used in MOC is custom-made and layered — built up in original-coloured strata that create depth visible through the surface of the frame. Depending on the model, fronts reach 8mm or 10mm in thickness, sculpted with bold side shields that are carved by hand. The signature MOC Burgundy colourway was recreated from a small quantity of archival fabric found in Masunaga's production records — a colour that had never been made in large quantities and couldn't simply be reordered.
5-micron 18-karat gold plating. The gold plating applied to MOC's bridge, top bar, nose pads, and temples is ten times thicker than standard gold plating. At 5 microns, the surface has been hand-polished by craftspeople before application — because at this level of precision, the plating cannot accept even the slightest correction after it is applied. There is no margin for error and no going back.
The Edition 120. To mark Masunaga's 120th anniversary, MOC 004, 005, and 006 were each produced in a special Edition 120 variant — limited to just 30 pieces each — featuring bold layers of pure gold plating that shift dramatically in different light. These are among the most technically demanding frames the brand has ever produced.
The MOC medallion. Set into the left temple tip of every MOC frame is a solid sterling silver medallion, cast and finished with an oxidised surface. Its design draws inspiration from the steering wheel of a racing car — a small, specific detail that rewards the person wearing the frame more than anyone looking at it from the outside.
Mineral glass lenses. MOC frames come fitted with 1.5mm mineral glass lenses — thinner than standard glass at this specification, with back-side anti-reflective coating and optical clarity that synthetic lenses don't match.
Double shield nose pads. The nose pads use a two-layer construction — a titanium base pad and a gold-plated main pad — with grooves carved into the surface to reduce slippage. Even the components that aren't visible when the frame is worn are finished to the same standard as those that are.
Three Wide rim wire. The titanium rim wire used in MOC was developed specifically for this collection — a custom mould, 3.5mm wide, patterned with three lines. The name and inspiration come from Formula 1 racing. The result is a rim profile that exists nowhere else in eyewear.
What MOC means in the context of Masunaga
Masunaga's main line represents over a century of refinement toward simplicity. MOC represents what that century of accumulated skill looks like when applied to complexity instead.
The two lines are different in character but identical in discipline. In MOC, Masunaga has, in their own words, "tamed even the excess" — bringing the same precision to decoration that they bring to minimalism, and proving that mastery of craft has no single expression.
MOC at Sun of Japan
We carry Masunaga MOC because it is the most technically demanding collection the brand has ever produced — and Masunaga is already one of the most technically demanding brands in Japanese eyewear. If you want to understand what Sabae craftsmanship looks like at its furthest reach, a MOC frame is the clearest answer.
Contact our customer service to order your new pair of Masunaga MOC: contact our customer service here