Yuichiro Yokouchi, a pillar of the international instrument manufacturing market and the founder of renowned Japanese guitar manufacturer FujiGen, has died at the age of 98. The news was confirmed by the official FujiGen social mediaand press channels.
“With the ambition to become Japan’s finest guitar manufacturer, he named our company after Mt. Fuji – an enduring symbol of the highest standard,” reads the statement.
“Through his dedication and vision, he realized that ambition, laying the foundation for our company to become a world-class guitar manufacturer representing Japan.
“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all our customers and players around the world for their continued support, which has been an essential part of our journey together. We remain committed to honoring his legacy through our craftsmanship and pursuit of excellence.”
Once referred to as “the world's largest guitar maker,” Yokouchi established Fujigen Gakki Seizo in 1960, the predecessor to FujiGen, after being encouraged by a friend who helped him get into the industry.
He also met Shinichi Suzuki, the founder of the Suzuki Method, who he referred to as an “amazing teacher” in a NAMM interview.
“Mr. Suzuki’s brother taught me how to make violins. Then we hired 10 people to start the company. But I had to sell all my cows from my farm to start this business.”
He served as a President starting in 1969, and moved into a role as Chairman in 1986. Under his leadership, at the peak of its production powers in the mid-’60s, his OEM [Original Equipment Manufacturer] guitar factory in Japan was manufacturing over 15,000 guitars a month.
In doing so, FujiGen became the go-to manufacturer for the likes of Fender Japan, the Orville by Gibson range, Ibanez, and in-house brand Greco (which has since developed something of a cult following in its own right).
Indeed, as guitar scholar Tony Bacon noted in Guitarist last year (in a piece on the origin of the Japanese lawsuit era guitars): “One of the reasons Fender chose Fujigen to manufacture its first Squier guitars in the early ’80s was because Fender’s strategy to beat the Japanese copies was simply to make better copies itself, with the added prestige of its own brand. And Fujigen’s existing Greco guitars proved that Fujigen was already good at what Fender required.”
Beyond the business, he dedicated himself to developing the guitar manufacturing industry in Nagano Prefecture, and also served as the Chairman of the Prefectural Musical Instrument Manufacturers Association.
Aside from the manufacturing industry, he also held prominent cultural positions, including Chairman of the Matsumoto Arts and Culture Association.
As for the company he founded, FujiGen, it continues to manufacture instruments for the likes of Ibanez, as well as own brand guitars. As the company concludes in the statement, “We remain committed to honoring his legacy through our craftsmanship and pursuit of excellence.”
