Tokai Gakki Company, Ltd. was established in 1947 in Hamamatsu, Japan, initially manufacturing harmonicas and school melodicas before transitioning to acoustic and classical guitars in the 1960s. By the 1970s, Tokai expanded into electric guitars, achieving global legendary status for its "Cat's Eyes" acoustics and extraordinarily accurate vintage-replica electrics, such as the "Springy Sound" (Fender Stratocaster copies) and "Love Rock" (Gibson Les Paul copies). Their craftsmanship was so precise that it triggered legal and copyright challenges from American manufacturers, cementing Tokai's reputation as a master luthier workshop.