Miroku 1892 Manufacture Dates 2020
Miroku 1892 Manufacture Dates For Sale

Miroku’s expertise in some of the most beautiful and precise gunstocks has been transferrable to the manufacture of automobile steering wheel production. Solid wood steering wheels are the epitome of quality and class for many of the world’s top car makers, including a key customer, Toyota. With expertise in producing two similar John Browning designs - the Model 1886 and the Model 1892 - the factory was able to tool up and begin production of the new Model 94 in 2010. That was not the end of the revival of historic Winchesters. In 2013, the legendary model 1873 began production at the Miroku factory to much industry fanfare.

We are pleased to provide you with a general overview of the legendary relationship between the Browning Company and the world-renowned firearms manufacturer Miroku. We hope it serves as a foundation for knowledge and historical research about the combined histories of Browning and Miroku.

The Browning company has always had a tradition of using the finest manufacturers in the world to produce their designs. This began with John Moses Browning who established the original manufacturing relationship with Fabrique Nationale in Belgium at the end of the 19th Century. So it was only natural that the Browning company would be on the lookout for a similar manufacturer to enhance the manufacturing capabilities of Browning in the second half of the 20th century. As told in this story, that manufacturer turned out to be the Miroku company of Kochi Japan. It was all a mix of a little bit of luck along with some remarkable foresight by Browning and Miroku management.

We manufacturing / selling of hunting guns, sport guns and products related to gunsThe craftsmanship and pride of Made in Japan. Please check the masterpiece of excellence created.

Today, Miroku is recognized as a top tier manufacturer of quality firearms world-wide. And they are largely responsible for the manufacturing success of many of the most important Browning products of the 20th and 21st centuries.

At times people act surprised when they learn that Browning is now making the Citori, the BLR or the X-Bolt in the Miroku factory in Japan. But the fact is they have always been made there. Even today, production of the Browning line is split largely between Miroku in Japan and Belgium/Portugal in Europe. Only Buck Mark, 1911-22 and 1911-380 pistols are made in the US.

The Browning-Miroku friendship is stronger than ever and is legendary among those who track the histories of great firearms brands and global relationships. The story below is a complex one, mostly due to the fact it is compiled from a variety of sources: Browning documents, Miroku historical books, recollections of former employees and other documented sources. Some of those originally involved have passed on. We greatly appreciated the help of the Miroku staff who collectively worked through their recollections to help create a narrative from the Miroku perspective. The combined recollections are deemed to be as accurate as possible with the resources available. We hope you enjoy reading it.

Google Earth view of the current, main factory for many Browning rifles and shotguns in Kochi, Japan.

NOTICE: This article is copyright Browning 2013-2017 in its entirety. No part may be used without express written permission of Browning. Browning, One Browning Place, Morgan, Utah 84050.

The earliest days of the Miroku company story are humble indeed. The story begins small with company founder Karaji Miroku operating a blacksmith shop creating parts and implements primarily for farming.

By 1893 he had formalized his business and established modest operations as a gunsmith and gunmaker, producing handmade guns for hunting boar and deer in the mountains near his home on the island of Shikoku, the smallest of the four main islands of the Japanese archipelago. 1893 is considered the beginning of the Miroku company as a manufacturer.

As a blacksmith and gunsmith, Karaji Miroku experienced success, but it had been a very small beginning – that was about to change.

In the 20th century Western manufacturing techniques began to take hold in Japan. In an environment of a new peace with Russia, the company adopted these techniques and grew under the direction of Karaji’s son Bukichi. By the early 1930s they were making a variety of small products and firearms, but eventually started focusing efforts, beginning in 1934, on manufacturing harpoon guns for the huge Japanese whale hunting industry. Overall this was a successful period for Miroku.

In 1946 a new post-war Miroku company was formed. But times were not easy for the newly incorporated B.C. Miroku Company and they faced difficult challenges of a destroyed economy. Finding markets was problematic. However, production of the Miroku harpoon gun line was successfully restarted in 1949. Miroku had the expertise, the natural resources (steel) and skills required to re-enter the firearms business. But they needed products with more than local appeal. They needed firearms that would thrust them into the global marketplace.

With the lifting of the Japan ban on manufacturing sporting guns in 1951, the door was opened to return to the roots of the company and begin building firearms once again.

In 1952 development of a side-by-side shotgun began, eventually to be sold under the Miroku name.

In the late 1950s they found the right gun to use as the archetype for a new future for Miroku: it was the successful Browning Superposed over and under. Miroku engineers reviewed the Belgian-made John Moses Browning design and began making changes and engineering modifications that would maximize the efficiency of their factory, their equipment and workforce skills. Development of the Miroku over and under – designed primarily by Bukichi Miroku himself -- was started in 1959 on a fast track. Industrialization commenced and in 1960 they had a production line in operation. The result was a gun they could call their own. It was not an exact copy, but a fine over and under nonetheless. There were approximately 300 workers in the plant in 1960.

In the early 1960s Miroku also began exporting other guns. In 1962 they produced a pepperbox derringer for distribution by Sharps Arms. In 1963, .38 caliber revolvers bearing the Miroku name were exported to the United States. Most firearms under the Miroku name were being sold in Japan, Australia and New Zealand at this point.

American and European sales of the Belgium-made Superposed were strong during the 1950s and early 60s. This fact, combined with an excellent price point, helped Miroku’s lookalike, over and under shotgun gain recognition on the world firearms market. By 1963 Miroku had also started selling a single barrel shotgun under the Miroku brand.

But it wasn’t enough. Miroku lacked one key to future success: a stand-alone brand. Very few people had heard of Miroku and the U.S. market was unsure about Japanese-made firearms.

Help came from a strong American brand that was seeking a potentially successful gun: the Charles Daly company. Charles Daly has been primarily an importer throughout its history, originally in pre-war years importing from Germany and later from Italy among others. So, true to form, a brokering agreement was established with an export firm and in 1963 the Miroku made over and under was being sold by Charles Daly for U.S. distribution. It was immediately recognized for its quality, good design, fine detailing, excellent fit and finish and solid function. The Charles Daly catalog in 1963 did not hide the origins of this new over and under, stating that it was:

“. . . manufactured to the most exacting specifications from the finest materials at the world famous B.C. Miroku Gun Works, Kochi City, Japan.

Of course its $279 basic price and high quality put pressure on many over and under manufacturers, including Browning (the Superposed) and its partner manufacturer, Fabrique Nationale.

Post war Germany was no longer a viable or even popular place for Charles Daly to source shotguns. The Miroku connection provided an opportunity for Charles Daly to build market share in the shotgun market in an aggressive way once again. In 1963 an

Miroku 1892 Manufacture Dates