June 2009 \ Features \ Builder Profile \ The Shokunin School: Blending Art, Nature and Innovation

The Shokunin School: Blending Art, Nature and Innovation

Adam Hunt

A look into the work of 5 Japanese-American builders: Toru Nittono, Tsuneyki “Tony” Yamamoto, Michihiro Matsuda and Hiro Miura, but we begin with Hideo Kamimoto
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Hideo Kamimoto
Throughout the course of researching this article, one name kept coming up as the founding father of California’s shokunin luthiers: Hideo Kamimoto. After working at a guitar shop in Berkeley and apprenticing under Stan and John Aschow at J.N. Aschow Violins, he opened Kamimoto String Instruments in Oakland in 1967. He later moved his shop to San Jose. Drawing on his years of building and repairing guitars, he eventually penned two well-regarded books on guitar repair, Complete Guitar Repair, and Electric Guitar Setups. Kamimoto is now retired, but his shop, which now specializes in orchestral stringed instruments, is still going strong. Hideo Kamimoto has studied under world class luthiers, including Hans Nebel, a man known for repairing Stradivarius violins.

kamimotostrings.com


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Comments

 (7 comments) display by
UsernameComment
bobby d
on 09/12/2010 		i really dig the Hiro Miura build aesthetic for the Xotic Guitars, would really like to get one of those XS models!
Atsu
on 06/12/2009 		Matsuda M-1. Gorgeous!!!!!!
Brother John
on 05/30/2009 		props to these builders
Sho Kosugi
on 05/23/2009 		How does that Yamamoto multiscale work?
T6
on 05/22/2009 		A hollowbody with no hole-meaning it's not necessarily chambered but actually hollow, but with no hole. Not sure if that's uber-cool or goofy. I'd like to play it. I bet it's crazy light.
Henry
on 05/21/2009 		Yes, Miura's is worthy of exploration. Great article. These guys are worthy of some attention.
kev
on 05/20/2009 		GORGEOUS STUFF



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