The Factory
The Miyazaki Chair Factory is a Japanese furniture manufacturer who specializes in wooden chairs, aiming to create products with high quality, meaningful and original designs which will be loved and cherished for many years. The factory was founded in 1969 in Tokushima, Japan. After cultivating traditional Japanese furniture, the factory started producing their own designs in 2000. At the basis of the manufacturing process rests ‘design’ and ‘technology’. By integrating the good points of handwork and machine processing, the MCF has developed its own original factory technology. The designs itself mainly evolve through workshops. By inviting leading domestic and overseas designers to move their hands on site in a workshop format together with the Miyazaki inhouse craftsmen, clear designs arise from refined, rearranged and perfectioned ideas. The result are products with a clear concept finished to perfection, both in terms of ergonomics and finishing. Based on our philosophy of high-quality materials, excellent technology and careful handicraft that puts our hearts into our products, Miyazaki aims to create pieces that bring joy to both users and creators. We spare no effort and will actively challenge what cannot be realized in thepresent. Miyazaki has the concept of “Chairs Nobody Else Can Make” as the pillar of their manufacturing.
Our History
Takaharu Miyazaki founded the Miyazaki Chair Factory in 1969. The factory has always been a family business since that day. Right after the current President , Masahiro Miyazaki, finished his design studies and graduated high school in 1973, he joined the company to support his father. In 1993 Takaharu Miyazaki passed away and his son Masahiro took over the company. At the very beginning the factory was only manufacturing “ dresser stools “as an affiliated company. From 2000 we started working on our own designs. Since then we have been working steadily on design development and managed to collaborate with Japanese and foreign designers. In 2012 we first exhibited our collection at the Salone Milano and introduced ourselves to the European public. The strength of the company lies in its foundations. Within this family business products are manufactured with love & dedication. In addition, we distinguish ourselves by our seniority as over the years, we gained experience in every facet of furniture making. We want to create products that are comfortable to use and become favourites in everyday life. Our aim is to keep improving wooden chairs. Designers can come to us with their designs no other manufacturers can make , often because of their difficulty or time-consuming development & production process. Today about 40 employees are working in the factory. Everyone is closely involved by Masahiro Miyazaki in every step of the production process and this in all aspects. Masahiro Miyazaki walks around the factory and office to help when necessary and for problem solving, to judge things and to give instructions if needed. During the entire working day all employees can always count on him. The Miyazaki Chair Factory tries to create a comfortable and reliable environment for designers and staff so they can stay for a long time and gain experience, one of the foundations of making quality products. Patience, excellent craftmanship and the love for the trade distinguish the Miyazaki Chair Factory from many others. It’s not about fastness or quantities. Achieving the best possible result remains our first motivation.
Philosophy
The Miyazaki philosophy can be seen as a tree that symbolizes the people, process and products that are Miyazaki. Miyazaki as the tree of chairs
In the middle stands a large tree named the Miyazaki Chair Factory. The tree is deeply rooted in the soil, which is the society and environment in which the Miyazaki Chair Factory operates. It is the soil that nourishes and supports the tree. At its roots are the people of the Miyazaki Chair Factory: the team, the designers, the craftsmen and distributors. The branches are the design principles of the Miyazaki Chair Factory.They reflect the unique manufacturing and design processes in which craftmanship plays a major role. The leaves and fruits are the products. Products that are created with the spirit of Miyazaki Chair Factory. The birds are partners to the tree. The dealers are significant partners to Miyazaki Chair Factory. Miyazaki Chair Factory is nurtured by those dealers that connects us with customers.
people
Human interaction between designers and craftsman shapes the products the factory designs.The MCF designs with an emphasis on affinity with people and space. We are people designing for people. Wooden chairs that can be loved and cherished. The human hand and eye are indispensable during the production process. It manages to refine products to a level that transcends machines. Furthermore, the cooperative distributors connect the users and us, because we do not have salespeople. We aim for manufacturing which connects the joy of the creators and users through development of partnership.
process
Our working method practices a simultaneous exploration of traditional handicraft and cutting edge digital technology – a complementary relationship that drives our creative process. Focusing on creating the best end results, leads to good quality, responsibility and is a source of joy in manufacturing. The technique is to seek the best way of production. We want to continue to use the traditional cutting tools as well as applying accuracy and rationality of the advanced equipment to use them as tools extended from our hands for manufacturing. To be able to do something we could not do without overcoming this conflict -we are continuously challenging ourselves in our workplace to seek such techniques.
product
All products have their individuality,rooted in their Zeitgeist; they offer an answer to a different specific design question. Yet all the designs have their roots in the same design principles. The Miyazaki products can be seen as a (design) family. Where everyone cherishes the same (design) values yet there are great differences between the different individuals. Each miyazaki product is part of the bigger project, the Miyazaki Chair Factory itself, rather than an individual masterpiece. That’s why at Miyazaki we don’t want to categorize by designer. There is no hierarchy between the miyazaki designs. The factory works with experienced designers, skilled craftsmen from all ages, and new graduates but ideas will be treated as equally important.
