History is a Japanese guitar and bass brand launched in 1996 as an in-house label of Shimamura Music, one of Japan's largest musical instrument retail chains. The majority of History electric and acoustic instruments are built in Japan by FujiGen, the Matsumoto-based factory long associated with Greco, Ibanez, and Fender Japan production. As a result, History guitars are typically viewed as Shimamura-exclusive siblings to FGN's own lines, sharing much of the same construction and hardware.

The brand's catalog spans electric guitars and basses across tiers such as the Performance, Advanced, and Standard series, along with acoustic guitars including Adirondack-topped models. Many instruments feature FujiGen's Circle Fretting System (CFS), in which the frets are arched rather than straight to improve intonation across the fretboard. Higher-end History acoustics and archtops are also known for using "Heritage Wood," reclaimed old-growth timber sourced from the Great Lakes region of North America.

History's offerings include Stratocaster- and Les Paul–style solid bodies, semi-hollow and hollow-body electrics, SG-style guitars, and a range of dreadnought and OM-style acoustics. Because the brand is distributed almost exclusively through Shimamura Music stores in Japan, History instruments have a strong reputation among Japanese domestic-market guitar enthusiasts and collectors of FujiGen-made builds.

History has 4 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Solid Body Electric Guitars and Instrument Cables.