The president of a metalworking factory in Komaki, Aichi Prefecture, is drawing on his years as a guitarist in a US heavy metal band to promote Japanese manufacturing abroad, Tokai TV reported.
Masaki Murashita runs Seiko, a metal processing company founded 56 years ago. He is the second generation to lead it, and he still welds. He also has another life.
“For now, this is my temporary guise in this world.”Masaki Murashita, president of Seiko
Murashita has played guitar and sung in HEMOPTYSIS, a US metal band, since 2007. The band appeared at South by Southwest, one of the world's largest music festivals.
A return home, then a pandemic pivot
He came back to Japan nine years ago to take over the family business. When the coronavirus pandemic hit orders, he launched a camping goods line called Kajiya no Tonchinkan.
Its polished iron griddle and other items were picked up by YouTubers and became hits. The company has kept bringing in new ideas since.
Music never left. A full recording studio occupies the third floor of the company office, where Murashita composes and mixes. His guitar playing remains sharp.
Drones over the factory floor
His current project is a music video built around the appeal of Japanese manufacturing. He filmed his craftsmen with professional cameras, then sent a drone through the workshop.
“Footage with movement really is better with a drone.”Masaki Murashita, president of Seiko
“For sheet metal shops like ours, the craftsmen's hands matter. Every step, even a single warp, involves a craftsman's hand.”Masaki Murashita, president of Seiko
On October 11, he filmed performance scenes in Los Angeles with his former bandmates. The finished work is due in January 2027.
It pairs the two metals in his life, the sheet metal of the factory and the heavy metal of the stage.
“Japan's economy is sluggish, there are labor shortages, all kinds of problems and barriers. Manufacturing supports Japan, so in my own way I want to spread the word and fire everyone up.”Masaki Murashita, president of Seiko