In 1928, the first iron club in Japan was born in Himeji by the hands of an industrial metal scientist and master samurai sword craftsman. The area is also known as the birthplace of home-manufactured golf clubs in Japan. Where the magnificent Himeji Castle was built over 400 years ago and today remains a national treasure which overlooks this beautiful city, home to over 470,000 residents.  The intricate detail of craftsmanship is apparent in the architectural mastery and is why the castle currently survives as the best preserved in Japan. The Himeji castle prospered in the Edo era, when powerful samurai protected their masters and relied on one vital instrument for survival - their superior handcrafted forged iron swords, possessing qualities and unique characteristics that continue to defy understanding in the modern technological world.  The area had flourished with master swords craftsmen and for hundreds of years since, the mastery of steel has transcended time, the secrets passed down from generation to generation. This rich history is why the area is commonly referred to as the "steel region" of Japan, a key area for Japanese golf history, as the region currently has the most iron club manufacturers in Japan.




Superior Craftsmanship

Katsuhiro Miura was born in 1942 at Himeji city and at the early age of 15, began his career as a golf club craftsman, naturally adapting the "art of steel" from his historic surroundings. His innovative techniques and his exceptional mastery of forged irons is why he has been referred to as "The God's Hand" and has continually been featured and praised in golf magazines and on golf websites around the world.

 

Handcrafted

What truly separates the quality of Miura products from others is the fact that each club is carefully examined and adjusted by Miura and his highly skilled team of craftsmen.  This process requires meticulous detail, with each club inspected and adjusted until it is weighted perfectly before it is shipped out of the door. This is also why the process does not lend itself to mass-production.

 

Premium Materials

Miura believes that many manufacturers can make forged irons but that alone does not guarantee great performance from the club.  His philosophy for superior clubs is comprised of a complex process that follows an intricate series of steps - each carefully inspected, ensuring that the best conditions of the metal are preserved. The same could be said of the Samurai Sword.

 

Final Thoughts

The key factor is the use of human sensitivity in the crucial steps that decide the club head or sword balance and control, instead of relying solely on statistics and numbers generated by computers.  Each club or sword must have equilibrium of application, technique, and beauty and the 3 elements must coexist in harmony. While maintaining this equilibrium, and specific to our irons,  the perfect golf club should be conceived by conceptualizing the perfect golf swing for golfers at any level. Miura's ability to achieve this result is unsurpassed and its products now set the standard for quality against which all other forged irons in the world are measured.