WORLDWIDE COMPANY
JANUARY 15, 2023
A Brief Story Of Yamaha Company
A giant Japanese tycoon with more than one hundred years of experience and worldwide products.
OVERVIEW
Yamaha Corporation (ヤマハ株式会社, Yamaha kabushiki gaisha, /ˈjæməˌhɑː) is a Japanese multinational corporation and conglomerate that offers a wide range of products and services.
The company is a component of the Nikkei 225 and is the largest piano manufacturer in the world. Its motorcycle division was spun off in 1955 to form Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., and was originally an affiliate of this company. However, later became independent.
HISTORY
Started as Nippon Gakki Co. Ltd. the company was founded in 1887 as a reed organ manufacturer by Torakusu Yamaha in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture and was officially registered as a legal entity on October 12, 1897. The name Yamaha means ‘yama’ which means mountain and ‘ha’ which means sword.
Torakusu Yamaha was born in 1851, he was the third child of a family Kishu Tokugawa Clan. He is very interested in machines and technology. He also worked as a technician for medical devices and a watch technician.
Torakusu’s involvement in the world of music was first started when the elementary school principal of Jinjo met him. At that time, the organ in his school did not produce any sound.
From there, Torakusu made a blueprint for the instrument and then came up with the idea to make the instrument himself. For two months, he succeeded in making the first experimental organ.
Torakusu started the business under the name Yamaha Organ Factory in 1888. In 1900, the company started producing pianos. The first piano made in Japan was an upright piano.
When World War 2 was closing in, all Japanese industries were used to produce war equipment. Likewise with Torakusu Yamaha, he was asked to produce propellers for Japanese fighter aircraft.
In connection with this involvement, the Torakusu Yamaha factory fell apart and became a bomb target for US troops and their allies.
In 1955 when the war was over, Torakusu Yamaha returned to build a factory for making musical instruments under the Nippon Gakki flag in the Hamamatsu area.
MOTORCYCLE ERA
On June 1, 1955, the Yamaha Motor Corp was founded. This company is a separate entity from Yamaha Corp, but remains in the same Yamaha group.
The first motor produced was the YA-1. The Yamaha YA-1 was produced from 1955 to 1958. As well as being Yamaha’s first motorcycle, this motorbike was also the first in Japan to use a primary starting mechanism.
With its sleek body and red color, fans in Japan gave this motorbike the nickname “Aka-tombo” which means Red Dragonfly.
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
The company’s origins as a manufacturer of musical instruments are still reflected in its logo, which is three tuning forks intertwined.
There are two meanings of the three tuning fork Yamaha logo. The first is a symbol of the three activities carried out, namely manufacturing, marketing, and technology. Second, the symbol of the three elements of music, namely melody, harmony, and rhythm. Then when Yamaha produced motorcycles in 1955, then the Yamaha logo was adjusted again.
CURRENT PRODUCTS
In the 20th century, Yamaha has grown to become the world’s largest producer of musical instruments, producing pianos, mute pianos, drums, guitars, woodwind instruments, woodwind instruments, violins, violas, cellos and vibraphones, as well as being a semiconductor, audio/visual producer, leading computer-related products, sports equipment, home furnishings, specialty metals, and industrial robots.
Yamaha has grown to become the world’s largest producer of musical instruments, producing pianos, mute pianos, drums, guitars, woodwind instruments, woodwind instruments, violins, violas, cellos and vibraphones, as well as being a semiconductor, audio/visual producer, leading computer-related products, sports equipment, home furnishings, specialty metals, and industrial robots.
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