2024 Masaki Sakurai "Special 640" CD/AR

This 2024 Masaki Sakurai “Special 640” is a cedar and African rosewood classical guitar from Tokyo, Japan, with a 640 mm string length – one of the last guitars built under Sakurai’s supervision before his passing in 2025, and offered in like-new condition.

Masaki Sakurai, Nephew of Masaru Kohno

Mr. Masaki Sakurai is the nephew of the greatest luthier from Japan, Masaru Kohno, with whom he worked and learned the craft of guitar making (see also our blog post on Kohno and Sakurai). Although clearly influenced by his uncle, Sakurai also infuses his own personality into his guitars.

The Sakurai “Special” Model

A modest look at this instrument reveals a beautiful, classic design – perfectly executed. This model is a step up from the Concert-J in detailing (especially in the purfling and rosette) and choice of materials.

A Double Ebony-Reinforced Neck

The double ebony reinforcing strips in the back of the neck allow for a very accurate setup, so the action is low and easy without buzzing. The stiffer neck also improves sustain. Together with the thick back and sides, this makes it a very stable instrument for travel.

A 640 mm Classical Guitar for Smaller Hands

This particular guitar is built with a shorter string length and a narrower nut for the player with smaller hands, or for any full-sized player looking for a guitar with more compact dimensions.

Sound

The cedar top delivers a rich, warm quality of sound while still retaining the clarity and balance of its spruce counterpart. There is plenty of power here for any concert situation, including ensemble settings.

Condition

Although “second-hand”, this guitar is in brand-new, mint condition, with no signs of having been used. Overall, a very bold and charming instrument which we can recommend to anyone looking for a top-quality concert instrument.

Orfeo No. 15: The Guitar in Japan

Masaru Kohno: Japan’s Great Guitar Maker

Not only the most important luthier to emerge from Japan, Masaru Kohno (1926–1998) 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. 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 at work. Upon his return to Tokyo he established his own workshop and quickly gained recognition among Japanese guitarists. His international debut came in 1967, when he was awarded the Gold Medal at an international guitar-making competition in Belgium, judged by, among others, Ignacio Fleta, Robert Bouchet, Joaquín Rodrigo and Alirio Díaz. Since then, many players of world renown have used Kohno guitars, among them Julian Bream, Oscar Ghiglia and Sharon Isbin.

Masaki Sakurai (1944–2025) and the Sakurai-Kohno Workshop

Kohno’s nephew Masaki Sakurai was born in Tokyo on May 10, 1944, and joined his uncle’s workshop in 1966. In 1988 he won First Prize at the 4th International Guitar Making Competition in Paris. After Kohno passed away in 1998, Sakurai took over the workshop, carrying on its legacy under the name Sakurai-Kohno, and the guitars built since have maintained the high levels of quality, precision craftsmanship, meticulous attention to detail and beauty of tone that made Kohno guitars world renowned. Masaki Sakurai passed away in 2025 at the age of 81. GSI is proud to be the only dealer in the USA for guitars from the Sakurai-Kohno workshop.

So Kimishima: The Next Generation

So Kimishima, Masaru Kohno’s grandson, has been a member of the Sakurai-Kohno workshop since 2007, where he worked and trained with Masaki Sakurai. Although clearly influenced by the designs of both Sakurai and Kohno, he infuses his own personality into his guitars, which are based largely on the sound of Masaru Kohno’s guitars from the 1950s and 1960s. One feature sets his work apart from other Kohno and Sakurai models: he uses different bracing designs according to the tonewood of the top, nuancing each soundboard to its inherent strengths.