Seiichi Nakanishi (born 1939) established the Nakanishi Music Instrument Manufacturing Co., Ltd. in 1958 in Konan, Aichi, Japan. He made guitars, ukuleles, banjos and mandolins - but mostly ukuleles producing around 300 a year when he had 3 employees. Seiichi Nakanishi retired in 2005 and his apprentice Hayato Siihara took over the factory.