Kasuga

Brand History
Kasuga was established in 1935 in Nagoya by Miki Bukichi. They made guitars, banjos, mandolins, violins and ukeleles.

Kasuga started their own brand of guitars in the 1960’s and in the 1970’s made the Heerby and Ganson brands and partnered with Roland on a guitar synth. They and Tokai made Conrad guitars in the 1970s.

In the 1980’s/1990’s they made guitars for Yamaha, Burny/Fernandes and the early Navigators.

Apparently made some Washburn models around 1988 or so with a serial number starting with a K and they might have also made some Jackson and BC Rich guitars.

They also did BC Rich type copies for the Japanese market with a K on the headstock instead of a B.

Went out of business in the mid 1990’s. [Source: Tokai forum ]

From his Facebook page

” In May of ’72, an advertisement appeared in The Music Trades. In an ad stretching across the top of a two-page spread, drawn cartoon-fashion with a jet soaring from Japan to the United States, the headline read, “Kasuga Guitars Come To America.” The  guitarmaker was established in Nagoya, Japan, in the late ’60s. In ’67, Tommy Moore, the successful musical instrument merchandiser from Ft. Worth, Texas, and one of the founders of Hondo, visited Japan in order to strike up a guitarmaking deal. With only a voucher of credit in his pocket and no contacts, Moore hooked up with a Mr. Kaku, who steered him to Tokai Gakki. Tokai had become very successful in Japan making and marketing the Pianaca, a keyboard harmonica used in Japanese schools. On December 15, 1970, Moore and Tokai Gakki entered a joint venture called Tokai USA Inc., and Tokai began making private label and OEM guitars.

Tokai quickly found it couldn’t keep up with demand, so it found a factory that could meet its quality standards: Kasuga. Another joint venture was established between Tokai USA and Kasuga called Kasuga International. Marketing offices were established in Singapore, Zurich, and Frankfurt. In ’72, these guitars began to come into America. ”

[From Kijiji June 2015 – not sure of original source]