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Help Save Bachido
0% complete
$9,803 raised of $30K
86 donations
Greetings, I'm Kyle Abbott, founder of Bachido.
For 15 years my partner Nitta san and I have been striving to provide the world with accessibility to shamisen — from educational resources to high quality instruments and accessories direct from Japan.
We're on the verge of releasing revolutionary new materials, but we're stuck with the poor timing of due loans and low sales to support them. Unless we can raise $30,000, next month I won't be able to cover our engineering partner's expenses, and he'll be forced to leave Japan — taking two years of development with him, weeks before it was ready for the public.
The full story is below, and in the video above.
How we got here
Bachido has been an entirely homegrown operation, and we've learned a lot along the way. I'm quite lucky to be living at home with my loving parents, and that's provided the supportive environment to figure out how to build Bachido so it's focused on the learner, while still being profitable enough that I could invest in new opportunities for Bachido, and sometimes even healthcare as well.
One of those opportunities came two years ago, and it was bringing a new member onto the team, Jonathan Magoga. He's a member from the Bachido community who has a natural talent for engineering, and particularly advanced materials.
After some communication, I knew he had skills which neither Nitta san nor I have, and I had a gut feeling that he alone could be the one to revolutionize synthetic alternatives to natural materials, finally making them comparable to each other, and perhaps in the future identical.
At the time, Jonny was living in Japan on a work visa. In order to keep him in Japan to develop these new materials full time, he would need to form his own company, change his visa to be employed by his own company, acquire lodgings in Sapporo, and invest in pricey machines.
Realizing how monumental this opportunity was, I decided to put the entirety of Bachido's savings — 15 years worth, which is also my savings — into setting Jonny up with his company in Japan. That not only used the entirety of my savings, but a sizable bank loan as well.
The good news
He's fully set up with his company, and after two years of trial and error, he's almost ready to release these new materials.
A synthetic bachi which closely replicates bekko's flexibility should be available in a few weeks. The new version of Hibiki, which is 90 to 95% identical to natural skin, in a few months.
The bad news
With his visa, Jonny isn't allowed to earn money outside of his business — and up until now his business has only been focused on research and development. So his rent, utilities, living expenses, and the bank loans I took out on his behalf are all covered by Bachido sales.
As big as Bachido appears, it's a really small company, and I make about minimum wage on sales. It's thanks to living at home that this income has been enough to keep putting full time effort into it. But now that minimum wage income is split between two households, with monthly utilities and bank loans to pay, and we've barely made enough to break even.
This would be doable if sales were strong, but as timing would have it, due to tariffs and economic concern, sales have suddenly tanked in the past months. Unless we get cash immediately, next month I won't be able to cover his payments, and he'll be forced to leave Japan. His company closes, the machines go, and the fruits from the investment from 15 years of Bachido building disappear just before they were ready for the public.
Where the $30,000 goes
Due immediately:
$10,000 — a debt owed to TaikoVentures, the taiko organization who has helped us enormously.
Monthly operating costs:
$1,000 — rent and utilities in Sapporo
$2,400 — Jonny's working expenses (materials, groceries, transportation)
$800 — US bank loan payment
$600 — Jonny's business loan payment in Japan
$4,800 total per month
$10,000 plus four months at $4,800 comes to $29,200. The remainder covers GoFundMe's processing fees.
That's four months of runway.
What I'm not asking for
I still owe $24,000 on the US bank loan I took out to start his company. This campaign isn't about erasing that debt, it's about keeping things running long enough for Jonny to get these products in front of Japanese retailers so he can start earning on his own. Once that happens, the main monthly burden is gone, and I can pay the final loan down myself.
If we exceed the goal, every additional dollar goes toward paying off that US bank loan.
If we fall short, nothing is wasted. Every $4,800 raised keeps Jonny working for another month, and each month is another chance for these materials to reach release.
Other ways to help
If you would prefer a tax-deductible donation, you can send a check, PayPal or Venmo payment to Odaiko Sonora, who is umbrellaing me as an NPO, which allows supporters like yourself to receive a receipt for your donation.
All of the ways to receive a tax-deductible donation via Odaiko Sonora are available in the website for my related project, Waves of Harmony - https://wavesofharmonymusic.com/support-us
If you would prefer to get something for your money, I'd heartily encourage you to purchase something from Bachido. I have several shamisen here in California all ready to ship, and that would give the most bang for your contribution, as they say.
Shamisen available from California:
https://bachido.com/store/mk-001-almost-new-kouki-tsugaru-shamisen-with-zouge-itomaki-ships-from-california/
https://bachido.com/store/mk-006-second-hand-kouki-tsugaru-shamisen-with-elite-itomaki-ships-from-california/
https://bachido.com/store/tw-006-kouki-tsugaru-shamisen-chuzao-from-tokyo-wagakki-ships-from-california/
And if you can't give right now, sharing this with anyone who plays or loves shamisen genuinely helps.
So, I'm asking for your help to keep Bachido running stable for four more months. If Bachido has touched you in any way, I would be immensely grateful for your help at this moment.
It's truly a race against the clock here now, so if there is any way you can help, I would greatly appreciate it.
Many thanks,
Kyle
Organizer and beneficiary
Susan Yuen
Beneficiary