Harada Takanori

The man making custom classical guitars by hand in Tobetsu, Hokkaido

Harada Takanori is from Sapporo, Hokkaido, and until he was 38 worked as a truck driver. Wanting to try something new, but thinking white collar work might not be for him, he considered carpentry. Then, one day, he saw on a bulletin that there was a man in Tobetsu making guitars by hand: Aoki-san.

Intrigued, he went and asked Aoki to show him how guitars are made. 30 years later, he has his own studio and gallery, where he makes custom classical guitars by hand. They are some of the best guitars money can buy, with a beautiful clear sound and lovely wooden bodies, whose polished finish makes the swirling wood grain shimmer.

But he was not always so capable. There were not really any guitar makers in Hokkaido at that time, so he had to work completely independently. In the early years there was a lot of trial and error. For the first 10 years after his 1 year apprenticeship with Aoki, he struggled to find customers and mostly lived off of savings from his truck driver days. Gradually word began to spread about the amazing quality and sound of his guitars and now he has a number of customers each year.

In 2007 he opened his beautiful studio/gallery in Tobetsu. Here he does consultations with customers to make them their perfect guitar, and displays his guitars alongside his wife's artwork.

He does every part of the process by hand, from the cutting and shaping of the wood to the polishing and stringing of the final guitar. He is a true master of his craft. If you are looking for a Japanese handmade custom classical guitar, this is where you should go.

His customers range from amateurs in their 60s who want a beautiful instrument to professionals. It depends on the order, but each guitar usually costs around 30万円.

If you're interested, check out his website and get in touch: https://harada-gs.com/about/