FEATURE
THE
SHOKUNIN SCHOOL
Blending Art, Nature and Innovation
BY ADAM HUNT
When it comes to historical hotspots along
the timeline of guitar history, few other
places boast as many creators and trend-setters as California. Leo Fender, Bernie
Rico, Sr., Wayne Charvel, Karl Sandoval,
Steve Klein and Rick Turner are just a few
of the names that come to mind.
on form and function, shokunin artisans
prided themselves on their skill and their
ability to waste as little material as possible. Today, what might be considered the
continuation of the discipline’s celebrated
approach to design is as identifiable with
modern guitars as it is with garden gates
and ancient temple architecture.
of the Hoshino family (Ibanez), Shiro Aria
and Company (Aria), Kanda Shokai (Greco /
Zemaitis), and the Nippon Gakki Company,
Limited, better known as Yamaha.
In this article, we’re shining the spotlight
on a few of the shokunin who are carrying on this tradition in California today:
Toru Nittono, Tsuneyki
“Tony” Yamamoto, Michiro
Matsuda and Hiro Miura,
but we begin with Hideo
Kamimoto—who literally
wrote the book on
guitar repair.
Building on this tradition
of West Coast ingenuity, a notable group of
luthiers is drawing on
much more than their
common geography.
Their guitars are beauti-
ful and innovative, yet
seemingly from another Hideo Kamimoto
world in terms of crafts- Throughout the course of
manship and design—an researching this article,
old world in which one name kept coming
beauty is appreciated up as the founding father
for its simplicity, design of California’s shokunin
efficiency and congru- luthiers: Hideo Kamimoto.
ence with nature. They After working at a gui-
each have their own tar shop in Berkeley and
individual style, but for apprenticing under Stan
these common charac- and John Aschow at
teristics to emerge is no J.N. Aschow Violins, he
surprise—these builders opened Kamimoto String
share a Japanese heri- Instruments in Oakland in
tage that celebrates the 1967. He later moved his
concept of high art in shop to San Jose. Drawing
woodworking craftsman- on his years of building
ship. In fact, there is a and repairing guitars, he
Japanese word for such eventually penned two
Hideo Kamimoto has studied under world class luthiers, including Hans Nebel, a man known for repairing Stradivarius violins.
an artisan: shokunin. well-regarded books on
(Pronounced sho’-koo-neen) Japan has had its share of well-regarded guitar repair, Complete Guitar Repair, and
guitar makers. The work of Kazuo Yairi, Electric Guitar Setups. Kamimoto is now
Nobuaki Hayashi, Yas Kamiya, Taku retired, but his shop, which now special-
Sakashta and T. “Terry” Haruo are worthy izes in orchestral stringed instruments, is
of exploration if you aren’t already familiar still going strong.
with them. The topic of Japanese luthiers
kamimotostrings.com
also deserves a nod to the contributions
Much of the Western world’s first exposure to this tradition dates back to 1852,
when Commodore Matthew Perry forcibly opened Japan to submit to American
trade demands. With an equal emphasis
