Japanese Golf Brands Compared: Forging, Faces and Feel
Japanese golf equipment is often described as one thing, and it is not. A forged blade from Himeji, a gold-trimmed set from Sakata and a lightweight driver from Kobe answer three different questions. This chapter of The Atlas of Japanese Golf sets the makers side by side, defines the technical terms that recur through the atlas, and shows where the accounts differ. Every entry is drawn from the chapter linked beside it, and the claims are the maker’s or the reviewer’s as stated there.
The makers at a glance
| Maker | Origin | Signature method or idea | Where made, as reported | Character |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mizuno | Osaka, 1906 | Grain Flow Forging, with the patent shared with the forge; hand-finishing at Yōrō | Forged at the independent Chuo forge, the majority of designs since 1968; finished at Yōrō | Soft, dense feel; fitted and Japan-only lines |
| Miura | Himeji, company founded February 1977 | Two-piece forging, with the hosel spin-welded to the head | Himeji; the multi-material Genesis face was made in Taiwan (2017) | Dense, firm and responsive; family-run |
| Epon (Endo) | Tsubame, Niigata; Endo 1950, Epon 1977 | One-piece forging of complex shapes from in-house 3D tooling | In-house at Endo; the forge also supplies other brands | Precise, scarce, sold through a small partner network |
| Honma | Yokohama, 1959 by the company (1958 in one account); Sakata from 1981 | Star grades with gold and platinum finishes | Sakata; part of Tour World forged and assembled in China (2017) | Luxury finish, status and gifts |
| Fourteen | Design firm 1981; brand 2002 | Reverse-muscle design, with a set centre of gravity for each loft | Forged clubs possibly in Japan; cast clubs expected in China or Taiwan (reviewer, 2017) | Wedge and specialist-iron designer |
| Onoff | Globeride (formerly Daiwa Seiko); brand about 2003 | Premium lifestyle; Labospec limited runs | Brand story built on Japanese manufacture; reviewer cautioned that some parts are made elsewhere | Boutique, backed by a larger parent |
| Majesty (Maruman) | Maruman; European push from 2007 | Hand-finished flagship range; Prestigio | Not specified here | Named the world’s most expensive golf equipment by Forbes in 2005, as reported |
| XXIO | Sumitomo Rubber; launched in Japan 2000 | Weight Plus (weight concentrated in the grip); Flat Cup Face | Not specified here | Ease and distance for moderate swing speeds |
| PRGR | Yokohama Rubber; brand launched 1983 | Head Speed Theory; non-conforming Egg range | Not specified here | Speed and ease, with a player-oriented RS line |
| Yonex | Founded 1946; golf from 1982 | Carbon graphite and persimmon (1982); Carbon Iron (1983) | Not specified here | A carbon pioneer, from racquets to clubs |
| Bridgestone | First golf ball for Japan 1935 | Ball fitting; Tour B | Not specified here | Tour balls and a growing club range |
| Srixon and Cleveland | Srixon golf launched 1996; Cleveland acquired October 2007 | Forged Z irons; RTX wedges | Not specified here | Tour-played; in the bag of the 2021 Masters champion |
Dates for Honma differ between the company’s own page and a trade profile, as the table notes. Prices quoted in the chapters are from 2017 and 2018 and are not repeated here.
The shaft makers at a glance
| Shaft maker | Material | Parent or background | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fujikura | Carbon | Began as a rubber company; shafts in Japan from the 1970s; US from 1995 | Speeder (1998 on the PGA Tour) and Ventus (2019) |
| Mitsubishi Chemical | Carbon | Carbon-fibre division 1974; carbon shafts 1979; Carlsbad 2004 | Diamana, Tensei; more than 270 and 80 wins respectively by May 2021 |
| Graphite Design | Carbon | Japanese maker with a Tokyo-listed parent | Tour AD family, including the DI |
| Nippon Shaft | Steel | Yokohama; subsidiary of NHK Spring | N.S. Pro 950GH and Modus3 |
Technical terms in plain language
- Forged and cast. A forged head is shaped from a heated steel billet by pressing or hammering. A cast head is made by pouring molten metal into a mould. Forging is associated with a softer, denser feel; casting allows more complex shapes and weight placement.
- One-piece and two-piece forging. Epon forges complex shapes in one piece. Miura forges the head and hosel separately and spin-welds them together, which it says gives more precise control of weight, loft and lie. Rivals say the extra step can make the feel less desirable, so the choice is one of philosophy.
- Muscle-back and cavity-back. A muscle-back, or blade, concentrates mass behind the centre of the face. A cavity-back hollows the rear and moves weight to the perimeter for forgiveness.
- S20C and S25C. Japanese Industrial Standard carbon-steel grades, in which the number is roughly the carbon content in hundredths of a per cent. Onoff’s Kuro and Fourteen’s FH-900 use S20C, and PRGR’s RS Forged uses a hollow S25C body.
- Grain flow. Mizuno’s name for a process that bends and stretches the billet before forging so that the steel’s grain follows the head.
- Maraging steel face. A very strong steel used for thin, springy faces, as in PRGR’s RS Forged irons.
- Head Speed Theory. PRGR’s 1983 principle that the whole club should be designed to maximise clubhead speed.
- Weight in the grip. XXIO’s Weight Plus moves mass towards the grip to make the club feel lighter to swing.
- Characteristic time. The face-spring measurement used by the rule makers; a driver must not exceed 239 microseconds plus 18 tolerance. See JDM Golf Clubs and the Rule Book.
- Prepreg. Carbon fibre pre-impregnated with resin, the sheet material from which modern composite shafts are rolled.
Where the accounts differ
- Honma’s founding. 1959 by the company; 1958 in one trade profile.
- Miura’s start. Obituaries say he began as a craftsman at sixteen; a 2017 profile dates his forging to 1957.
- Endo’s first products. Screwdrivers and sewing-machine needles in one account; steel parts for machines, housewares and cars in another.
- Endo’s size. One 2009 article calls it the world’s largest forging house, without attribution.
- The Mizuno first. The 1933 Star Line as the first Japanese-made golf clubs is Mizuno’s own account.
- Tour claims. Win counts and market shares from makers or their partner content are claims, not audits.
Choosing among them
- For the feel of a forged blade, begin with Mizuno and the Chuo Forge: Feel as Engineering, Miura Golf: A Himeji Family Forge and Epon and Endo: The Forging House Behind Other Names.
- For ease and distance, see XXIO, PRGR and Yonex: Clubs Built for Ease and Speed.
- For finish and gifting, see Honma Golf: Stars, Gold and the Sakata Workshop and Onoff, Fourteen and Maruman: The Boutique Houses.
- To narrow the field to your own swing and purpose, use the decision matrix and filterable chart.
- For what to ask at purchase, see Why the World Buys Japanese Golf Clubs.
Continue reading
- Which Japanese Golf Club Is Right for You: A Decision Matrix
- How to Play Golf in Japan: A Visitor's Field Guide
- The Atlas of Japanese Golf: Makers, Methods and Why the World Collects Them
- Why Japan Became Golf's Great Workshop
- Mizuno and the Chuo Forge: Feel as Engineering
- Miura Golf: A Himeji Family Forge
- Epon and Endo: The Forging House Behind Other Names
- Honma Golf: Stars, Gold and the Sakata Workshop
- XXIO, PRGR and Yonex: Clubs Built for Ease and Speed
- Directory of Japanese Golf Brands
- Buying Golf Equipment from Japan
- All collector guides
After a particular make and model? Our Hunting Salon™ searches across Japan's private collector circles on your behalf.
Index terms: japanese golf brands compared · mizuno vs miura · miura vs epon · honma vs xxio · forged vs cast irons · muscle back vs cavity back · one piece forging vs two piece · s20c forged iron · japanese golf shafts compared · japanese golf club technical differences · which japanese golf club is right for me · japanese golf club decision matrix
References
Dates and figures in this chapter were checked against these pages. Where accounts differ, the text says so.
- MyGolfSpy, Know Your Japanese Brands: Mizuno
- MyGolfSpy, Know Your Japanese Brands: Miura
- MyGolfSpy, Know Your Japanese Brands: Epon
- MyGolfSpy, Know Your Japanese Brands: Honma
- MyGolfSpy, Know Your Japanese Brands: Fourteen
- MyGolfSpy, Know Your Japanese Brands: Onoff
- MyGolfSpy, Know Your Japanese Brands: PRGR
- Honma Golf, company story
- Golf Retailing, Katsuhiro Miura, founder of Miura Golf, passes away