MASUNAGA Announces Collaboration with Artist Ken Yashiki: New Artwork 'Scramble' Exhibition and Limited Collaboration Booklet Launch for 'SUNGLASSES COLLECTION 2026'

Avex Creator Agency Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo) announces the third installment of the art project 'MASUNAGA1905 meets ARTISTS,' a collaboration with artist Ken Yashiki, commemorating the 120th anniversary of MASUNAGA Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Fukui City, Fukui Prefecture; hereafter 'MASUNAGA').

This project, centered on the flagship store 'MASUNAGA1905,' fosters collaboration with contemporary artists. Through in-store art exhibitions and everyday products like booklets, it creates experiences where art intersects with daily life.

The third installment welcomes Ken Yashiki, an artist who reinterprets 'kimomekomi'—a traditional Japanese textile technique—as a painting method, pioneering new forms of visual expression. The collaboration coincides with 'SUNGLASSES COLLECTION 2026,' running from Friday, July 17, 2026, to Sunday, August 2, 2026.

For this collaboration, Yashiki has created a new work titled 'scramble.' Inspired by Japanese intersections, the piece captures fleeting encounters born from urban movement and the surface layer of contemporary values revealed through a bird's-eye view. Figures wearing sunglasses appear in the artwork, portrayed not merely as products but as elements that shape individuality and personal identity. The work expresses the moment when each person's presence and uniqueness emerge within the urban landscape of intersecting lives.

The artwork will be exhibited at the MASUNAGA1905 Shimokita store starting Friday, July 17, 2026. Additionally, customers who purchase a frame at any of MASUNAGA's nationwide直营 stores will receive a limited-edition collaboration booklet created specifically for this project. *While supplies last.

Furthermore, a limited-time pop-up event will be held at reload ENTRANCE HALL, where the MASUNAGA1905 Shimokita store is located, from Saturday, August 8, to Friday, August 14, 2026. Several of Ken Yashiki's works will be specially exhibited at the venue.

MASUNAGA, which has inherited honest craftsmanship for 120 years based on the founding belief of 'making good glasses,' aims to create new discoveries and encounters with aesthetic awareness in everyday life by merging its approach to craftsmanship with the creativity of contemporary artists.

Ken Yashiki, who modernizes traditional Japanese techniques into contemporary painting, and MASUNAGA, which has produced 'visual products' for 120 years, represent two distinct approaches. Their convergence aims to transcend the boundaries between art and products, creating new perspectives and value systems within everyday scenes.

MASUNAGA1905 meets ARTISTS vol.3 ken yashiki Overview

Start Date: July 17, 2026 (Fri) –

Venue: MASUNAGA1905 Shimokita store (art exhibition), nationwide直营 stores (limited collaboration booklet distribution)

Third Artist: Ken Yashiki (Artist)

About Ken Yashiki

Ken Yashiki reinterprets 'kimomekomi,' a uniquely Japanese textile technique, as a painting method, pioneering new forms of visual expression. Originating in the Edo period, kimomekomi traditionally used leftover wood from temple construction for dolls. Yashiki reinterprets this technique based on personal experience, restricting materials to used clothing and recycled materials. He captures the physicality, time, sense of life, and original brand concepts inherent in the garments, translating them into paintings while preserving the cultural values of prayer and hope embedded in traditional crafts, thus recontextualizing them for the modern era.

Major solo exhibitions include 'ONLY HOLY STORY' (Nichidō Gallery, 2023, Tokyo), 'FLOW & CONNECT' (hiro okamoto gallery, 2022, Tokyo), 'PAUSE' (Shibuya Living, 2021, Tokyo), and 'touch point' (Kyoto Wacoal Study Hall, 2021, Kyoto). He has also participated in group exhibitions such as 'Creating by Hand – Hanae Mori and Young Artists' (Mito Art Museum, 2009, Ibaraki) and 'section' (spiral hall, 2021, Tokyo).

SUNGLASSES COLLECTION 2026 Overview

SUNGLASSES COLLECTION 2026 will feature 10 new limited-edition sunglasses in exclusive colors available for a limited time at MASUNAGA1905. Designed for the season of intense sunlight, these sunglasses combine functionality and beauty. Experience their diverse expressions created by differences in materials, shapes, and lens colors in-store.

SUNGLASSES COLLECTION 2026

Start Date: EC site: July 10, 2026 (Fri) – / Nationwide直营 stores: July 17, 2026 (Fri) – August 2, 2026 (Sun)

About MASUNAGA1905 Shimokita Store

Opened in 2021 in 'reload,' a cluster of independent stores located on the former railway track between Kitashinagawa and Setagaya-Daita stations, known as 'Shimokita Line Street.' 'reload' embodies the cultural charm of the neighborhood of Shimokita. The store features a silver-based interior with mirrors on the ceiling, creating a spacious, sky-like atmosphere. It also offers 3D virtual fitting using the 'VISUFIT 1000,' a 3D measuring device by Carl Zeiss Vision Japan.

Shimokita Store

1-3 Reload, 3-19-20 Kitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 155-0031

Phone: 03-6407-1905

Business Hours: 11:00–20:00

Closed: 1st, 3rd, and 5th Thursdays

MASUNAGA1905 meets ARTISTS CONCEPT MESSAGE

From the origin of 'making good things' to a new scene in the world.

For 120 years, MASUNAGA has upheld the belief of 'making good glasses' and pursued technology suited to each era.

After 120 years, now meeting the sensibilities of contemporary artists,

We aim to create new everyday scenes.

The art project 'MASUNAGA1905 meets ARTISTS'

Begins in Aoyama, a journey toward a new global scene.

Small expressions like booklets and in-store exhibitions

Gently transform someone's daily life.

For artists, it becomes an opportunity for creation and connection;

For visitors, an unexpected encounter with aesthetic awareness.

Each expanding scene alongside art

Will eventually color the world's scenes and weave MASUNAGA's story.

So that more people will love our glasses in more moments of life.

MASUNAGA will continue making good glasses.

About MASUNAGA1905

MASUNAGA1905 is an eyewear store featuring MASUNAGA's original brands. MASUNAGA was the first eyewear manufacturer in Fukui Prefecture.