1974 Masaru Kohno No. 15 SP/CSAR

This 1974 Masaru Kohno No. 15 is a classical guitar with a spruce top and CSA rosewood back and sides, made in Tokyo, Japan – from the Russell Cleveland collection, featured in “The Classical Guitar – A Complete History”.

Hokkaido Spruce and CSA Rosewood

Its voice is classic Kohno: clear, woody and, for a spruce top, even slightly dark. The materials are beautiful: a very dark, velvety-looking top of Hokkaido spruce and figured CSA rosewood for the back and sides.

Model Number and Label

Kohno marked his guitars with a model (grade) number that placed each one within his range; the scale changed over the years, so the number is best read together with the year. The label – “Masaru Kohno, Luthier, Nishiikebukuro, Toshimaku, Tokio, Japon” – gives No. 15 and the year 1974.

Condition and Video

The condition is excellent, with only one marginal wear spot in the finish. It is concert ready, with a comfortable set-up and easy playability, and the string length is 660mm. In the video above, Billy Arcila plays his “Simbelmynë” on this guitar.

From the Russell Cleveland Collection

This guitar comes from the Russell Cleveland collection and is featured on pages 64–65 of the book “The Classical Guitar – A Complete History”.

The Classical Guitar – A Complete History

The Guitar in Japan

Orfeo Magazine devoted its issue No. 15 to the guitar in Japan. You can read it online, and it is also part of the print edition “Orfeo Magazine, 11-15”, available at GSI.

Orfeo No. 15: The Guitar in Japan

Orfeo Magazine, 11-15 (print edition)

Masaru Kohno (1926–1998)

Not only the most important luthier to emerge from Japan, Masaru Kohno is also one of the best worldwide. He was born in 1926 in Mito City, Japan, and in 1948 he graduated from the Tokyo College of Arts and Crafts with a degree in woodcraft. It was during this time that he became interested in guitar construction, and in 1960 he traveled to Spain to learn the craft.

Six Months with Arcángel Fernández

Kohno apprenticed for six months at the workshop of Arcángel Fernández in Madrid, and although neither could speak a word of the other’s language, they managed to communicate. Kohno’s apprenticeship consisted mostly of sitting in the back of the shop and quietly – but attentively – observing the master Fernández at work. Upon his return to Tokyo he established his own workshop and quickly gained recognition among Japanese guitarists.

Gold Medal in Belgium, 1967

His international debut came in 1967, when he was awarded the Gold Medal at an international guitar-building competition in Belgium. On the judges’ panel were, among others, Ignacio Fleta, Robert Bouchet, Joaquín Rodrigo and Alirio Díaz. Since then, many players of world renown have used Kohno guitars; among them are Julian Bream, Oscar Ghiglia and Sharon Isbin, to name a few. After Kohno’s death in 1998 his nephew Masaki Sakurai carried on the workshop as Sakurai-Kohno, and today his grandson So Kimishima continues the tradition – read more on our page Kohno, Sakurai & Kimishima.