Sakai was a post war Japanese manufacturer and whilst popular opinion suggests that Sakai was the post war name of the pre war Japanese manufacturer Seki, it is yet to be proven. It is said that the Seki factory was destroyed during WWII, at which point the owner of Seki gave up and retired following which the post war manufacturer Sakai was formed by ex staff of Seki. There are certainly similarities between Seki and Sakai products, giving the ex employee theory credence, although proof remains elusive.
Model railways manufactured in Japan by Seki were exported, using both the name Seki and local names for other markets including Stronlite and Oxil in Great Britain, Bryant in the Netherlands and Maraklin in Australia. Some models exported by Seki were of their local Japanese outline railways whereas others were specific to the country of the importer, particularly those imported by Stronlite and Bryant to Great Britain and the Netherlands respectively.
See also the 1935 catalogue issued by B S Sidline and Co
These pages could not have been written without reference to Peter Wray's superb book Stronlite Model Railways. Highly recommended, image below.
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