Post wwii Asian Ukuleles click for more

In rebuilding Japanese industry after WWII but for peaceful purposes, one avenue that was exploited was the manufacture of musical instruments (Gakki apparently means musical Instrument in Japanese?). Pre-War there had been a few well respected makers like Suzuki, so there was some skill available and it must have seemed like a safe idea - Until it killed Chicago (and a lot of other US) manufacturing!


Maruha (Gakki)

This is a firm where information is scarce. What I can find is it was located in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka, and starting in 1948 made primarily acoustic Guitars, but also made Mandolins and Ukuleles too. There is a second branding F. Hashimoto in Japan that is associated with it and In the US I have seen them branded Domino, however I have only seen this on Guitars not other instruments. What I have heard but been unable to verify is it was founded by Mr Fumio Hashimoto and continued in business until the 1980's, (certainly past 1978, the Guitars were all dated and I have seen one with this date). They apparently built some acoustic Guitar bodies for Teisco and Guyatone as well as their own products.

Shiro Musical Instruments

They produced instruments branded Shiro, St. George and may have produce instruments branded Pleasant This may not be all the brands they made, I haven't seen all of these names on Ukuleles and they may not have been the only firm producing them?

Tokyo Trading Co

From the name I would guess they were a distributor rather than a manufacturer? However they used the Romance brand name and on the sound hole label it say "manufactured by Tokyo Trading Co" I could stick my neck out with a guess that they were based in Tokyo too?

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