Hawaiian Vintage Hamaki Ukulele. Koa wood with original label and leather case. Likely made in Hawaii itself around 1925-1930, based on the wood type, the condition of both the case and instrument, and the company name on the label visible through the sound hole. Worn stickers on case from the Royal Hawaiian Hotel at Waikiki and Diamond Head, which can be seen from the famous pink hotel that opened in 1927. Signed twice on case, "Danny" over the Diamond Head sticker and indistinctly over the hotel sticker. 

Case: 22 1/4 X 7 3/4 X 3 1/2 in. 

Ukulele: 20 1/2 X 6 1/2 X 2 1/2 in. 

#7162 . 

The ukulele is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings, and the tone and volume of the instrument vary with size and construction. Ukuleles commonly come in four sizes: soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone. Developed in the 1880s, the ukulele is based on several small, guitar-like instruments of Portuguese origin: the machete, cavaquinho, timple, and rajão, all introduced to the Hawaiian Islands by Portuguese immigrants from Madeira, the Azores and Cape Verde. The ukulele is generally made of wood, with cheaper versions made from plywood or laminated woods, and more expensive and long-lasting ukuleles made of solid hardwoods such as mahogany. The traditionally preferred wood for ukuleles is a type of acacia endemic to Hawaii, called koa, and most have a figure-eight body shape similar to that of a small acoustic guitar. One of the most important factors in establishing the ukulele in Hawaiian music and culture was the ardent support and promotion of the instrument by King Kalākaua. A patron of the arts, he incorporated it into performances at royal gatherings, and the first indigenous-owned ukulele companies appeared by the turn of the 20th Century. In the Hawaiian language the word ukulele roughly translates as “jumping flea,” perhaps an allusion to the movement of the player’s fingers. The ukulele arrived in Japan in 1929 after Hawaiian-born Yukihiko Haida and his brother Katsuhiko formed the Moana Glee Club in Tokyo, generating enthusiasm for Western popular music, particularly Hawaiian and jazz. During World War II, authorities banned most music from the West, but fans and players kept it alive in secret, and it resumed popularity after the war. Today, Japan is considered a second home for Hawaiian musicians and ukulele virtuosos. At the onset of the worldwide Great Depression, nearly 90% of all ukulele manufacturers went out of business, although the music itself remained popular until the late 1950s when rock and roll emerged as the dominant popular musical form. Despite continued enthusiasm among some musicians like Arthur Godfrey and Tiny Tim, it remained a fringe instrument until the 1990s when Paul McCartney and internationally beloved Hawaiian musician Israel Kamakawiwo’ole helped repopularize it. The creation of YouTube further catalyzed the movement by making more obscure instruments visible to the worldwide population, with one of the first viral videos in history a ukulele rendition of George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”