Maywa Denki

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February 27, 2009

In 1993, brothers Nobumichi and Masamichi Tosa reopened their father’s failed company, Maywa Denki, as an “art unit.” They acted as “parallel-world electricians” and built a following as artists and musicians using extraordinary instruments of their own design. In 2001, when his brother retired, Nobumichi became president and took the operation to new heights, creating a series of Nonsense Machines called Naki that “takes fish as its motif and ‘Who am I? (search for self)’ as it’s theme.” Instruments like the Eidelweiss series and toys like Knockman helped define Maywa Denki’s uncategorizable appeal.

BSKY

Julie Greicius

Julie Greicius was Art Editor for The Rumpus when it launched in January 2009. One year later, she became Senior Literary Editor, and later, Senior Features Editor. Julie also co-edited the first book published by The Rumpus, Rumpus Women, Vol. 1, featuring personal essays and illustration from twenty kick-ass contributors. Her writing been featured on The Rumpus, Midnight Breakfast, Stanford Medicine Magazine, and BuzzFeed, as well as in the anthology The 27th Mile. She lives in California and is a member of The Rumpus Advisory Board.

One response

Andy Raskin

March 2, 2009

This is so great — thanks for posting it. I love his attire — he’s dressed exactly like Japanese engineers at big electronics firms. I did a story at Casio once and the guys in the research centers, even management, wore a variation on that outfit.