what "TOKAI" means?

[HAMAMATSU]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C5%8Dkai_region

the tokai guitar company is located in hamamatsu, japan. hamamatsu is one of the cities in the tokai region. hamamatsu is famous for the many musical instruments companies.

[HAMAMATSU]

tokai had many factories before in hamamatsu but there is only one factory lately. the company seems to be doing their business very well but they are kinda a very small company today. god bless tokai!

[brokentoes]

So I know that Tokai had another factory where the "inkies" were made way back late '70's.... but how many factories did they have at the height ??

[HAMAMATSU]

So I know that Tokai had another factory where the "inkies" were made way back late '70's.... but how many factories did they have at the height ??

i heard that tokai had 3 factories of their own plus some other companies that helped tokai when tokai was most popular back then. today, only their old main office building is also their factory. tokai uses the same old building for 2 purposes. the office and factory. tokai has become small over the years but they are still very active and popular company today in japan.

[HAMAMATSU]

http://www1.odn.ne.jp/tokaigakki/toiawase/index.html

[HAMAMATSU]

https://www.facebook.com/tokaiguitar

the tokai CEO, mr.syohei adachi.

[brokentoes]

Thanks for the reply and for your knowledge. I have to say i have a certain fascination for MIJ guitars and for Tokai especially. A used 2000 TJ60 was my first MIJ Guitar. The rest is pure obsession lol.

[HAMAMATSU]

Thanks for the reply and for your knowledge. I have to say i have a certain fascination for MIJ guitars and for Tokai especially. A used 2000 TJ60 was my first MIJ Guitar. The rest is pure obsession lol.

i am very glad to know that there are good people like you guys who are very interested in the japanese guitars and others even they arent the american guitars. the people used to think that only the american guitars are basically real and great and the rest are cheap and just the tools. not the serious musical instruments. but times has changed and now basically good is good and no-good is no-good. based on the truth we can see their true values. i used to only see the american guitars too before i knew the japanese vintages like tokai, greco, and others, but now i am so different from before and i am open to whatever good. tokai really has opened up my eyes for me and for that destiny, i am very thanksful. i really enjoy this forum and have learned too much about the japanese vintages plus. its sad that this forum is not too popular lately. used to be a super popular place! its near 2020 and this forum got renewed lately. so, i am really hoping to see it popular again in the near future. this forum is very important and so rare for its quality, the infos and knowledges. if we lose this forum then we will never know the japanese vintages and others deeply ever again. this forum even has the infos and knowledges that even the japanese dont have anymore today. they are only so busy about fender and gibson and all those. i am japanese so if you have any question about japan then ask me. i be very glad to help you good guys here always. its 2020 soon so the peace and tokai! ok, thanks and see ya! joe yoshida from yokosuka, japan.

[BrazenPickerNew]

Well, since you're Japanese... I'm wondering: are there Japanese forums similar to this one? Which are the biggest ones? With Google translate it's possible at least to read them, and there may be good information there. Are you aware of articles (for instance in Japanese guitar magazines) with interviews with former Tokai, Fujigen, etc. employees? Most of them would be old men now, but still alive so it would be interesting to read about how they approached things.

[HAMAMATSU]

as far as i know, there isnt any guitar forum in japan but here they call it "community", not the forums. those guitar communities exist here and there in the internet but usually they are very small and their members are about less than 50 or so i guess. the japanese usually dont talk much and loud publically so this might be the reason why the forums like the world has, dont exist here in japan. generally, the japanese are very shy people. i work for the music store and been playing guitars since i was 15 so i have been reading most of the guitar magazines every month also. in the past 30 years or so since the late 80s, i havent found basically any article about the old tokai, greco, others people. occasionally i found the factory reports of tokai and others on the net but not the articles of those old tokai people and others. i personally needed to know some stuff about the old tokai situations so i have had a contact with some old tokai people and sometimes they told me some cool good ole infos and sometimes they said they cant because its the companys secret infos. the best person who absolutely knows so much about the old tokai situations was mr.kunishi furuhashi of the guitar shop "neo" in nagoya. he worked at tokai in the 80s and laters he helped to make LS320 & LS150F. but even mr.furuhashi, he could tell me some and he couldnt tell me some because of the company rules. i try to meet him someday and ask him all i wanna ask. i must be a trustable gentleman to do this. i live in near yokohama so its far from here to his city nagoya. so someday, i sure ask him. and tell you guys here the good ole tokai secrets!

[BrazenPickerNew]

Thanks for the information. It's a pity that there isn't more of a platform in Japan for people to add their knowledge, or detailed recorded history with inside anecdotes, like there is with Fender and Gibson.

I've found this site the be useful, with some nice anecdotal history, but it's just one person:
www.music-trade.co.jp/JVGuitarHome.html

It's helped me with buying Fernandes Strats, among other things.

[Custom Goldtop]

the best person who absolutely knows so much about the old tokai situations was mr.kunishi furuhashi of the guitar shop "neo" in nagoya. he worked at tokai in the 80s and laters he helped to make LS320 & LS150F.

He also made some of the the early LS180's , prototype guitars and custom shop orders, as you know, both my Tokai's were made by Mr Furuhashi....

[HAMAMATSU]

the best person who absolutely knows so much about the old tokai situations was mr.kunishi furuhashi of the guitar shop "neo" in nagoya. he worked at tokai in the 80s and laters he helped to make LS320 & LS150F.

He also made some of the the early LS180's , prototype guitars and custom shop orders, as you know, both my Tokai's were made by Mr Furuhashi....

your guitars are always so cool like yourself man! post the pics of your beloved LS180 on the 2020 contest! please and thanks!

[Custom Goldtop]

Not sure how to post pics here , my pics are on photobucket and its now crap, I can't even log into it any more....