Kiwaya
| Founded | 1919 |
|---|---|
| Place | Tōkyō  |
| Production |  |
Kiwaya
Okamoto Kitaro originally founded Kiwaya キワヤ to repair gramophones. Since then, however, the company changed under his son Ryōji in the 1950s for instrument making and is today the oldest and most important Japanese ukulele maker. Their ukuleles were aiming at the designs of Martin and Kamaka. Most of their ukuleles are produced in Maebashi by Mitsuba Gakki. Most of their ukuleles are produced by Mitsuba Gakki in Maebashi.
Pinapple shape Luna Ukulele
Label of a Luna Ukulele
Famous
The most well-known Kiwaya series has been Famous since 1955, later replaced by the Fseries (with instruments from solid wood.
Luna
Another brand, distributed in Japan, but also overseas since the 1950s, is Luna. It was acquired by Kiwaya in 1993.
K
The K series, supplemented by K-Wave since 2000, comes from Chinese production and enjoys little recognition amongst connoisseurs. Since 2004 models of the Famous and Luna brands have been distributed in Asia, America and Europe under the company name Kiwaya.