Torakusu Yamaha facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Torakusu Yamaha
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| 山葉寅楠 | |
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| Born | April 20, 1851 |
| Died | August 8, 1916 (aged 65) |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Occupation | Founder and CEO of Nippon Gakki Co Ltd |
| Years active | 1887–1916 |
| Known for | Founding of Yamaha Corporation |
Torakusu Yamaha (山葉 寅楠, Yamaha Torakusu, 20 April 1851 – 8 August 1916) was a clever Japanese businessman. He is famous for starting the company we know today as the Yamaha Corporation.
Yamaha was the first person in Japan to make a reed organ. He created a company called Nippon Gakki Co Ltd in Hamamatsu. This company made organs and other musical instruments, like pianos and harmonicas. Later, Nippon Gakki was renamed the Yamaha Corporation to honor him.
Contents
Torakusu Yamaha's Story
Early Life and Learning
Torakusu Yamaha was born on April 20, 1851, in Wakayama, Japan. He was the third son of Konosuke Yamaha. His father was an astronomer for a powerful family. This meant Torakusu could read many books about the stars and machines.
He became very interested in machines and technology. He also enjoyed martial arts and kendo. When Torakusu was in his twenties, Japan changed a lot. This was during the Meiji Restoration in 1868. New Western ideas and technologies came to Japan. Torakusu saw many chances to build new things.
In 1871, Torakusu went to Nagasaki. He started learning how to make watches from an English engineer. After a few years, he became very skilled at watchmaking. Then, he became interested in medical equipment. He moved to Osaka to study medical tools.
Fixing an Organ
In 1886, when he was 35, Torakusu moved to Hamamatsu. He planned to fix medical equipment there. But Hamamatsu was a small town. It was hard to make a living just fixing medical tools. So, he also fixed watches and even worked as a rickshaw driver.
One day, a local school asked him for help. Their organ was broken, and no one in town knew how to fix it. Torakusu took on the challenge. He quickly found the problem: two broken springs. He studied them closely, hoping to make new ones himself.
He got some money to help with the project. Torakusu started working in a small workshop. A friend from his medical equipment work helped him.
Building the First Japanese Organ
In 1887, after two months, Torakusu and his friend finished their first Japanese-made reed organ. But when they showed it to people, they got some negative comments. Torakusu decided to take the organ to a music school in Tokyo.
He had to carry the organ for about 250 kilometers (about 155 miles)! When he showed it to the professors, they said it wasn't very good. But they let him attend their music lectures for a month. He learned a lot about music theory.
Back in Hamamatsu, Torakusu built a second organ. He finished it in just two months. This time, it was rated "as good as those from abroad." Soon after, he received an order for seven organs! Even the governor of Shizuoka Prefecture wanted one.
In March 1888, Torakusu used an old temple in Hamamatsu as his workshop. He worked with carpenters and cabinet makers to build more organs.
Starting Nippon Gakki
In 1887, Torakusu officially started his company, Nippon Gakki Co Ltd. For the company's logo, he chose a drawing of a Chinese phoenix holding a tuning fork. This logo is still used by Yamaha today!
He set up a factory with modern assembly lines. By 1889, Nippon Gakki had sold almost 250 organs to schools across Japan. Because of this success, the company started making other instruments. They began producing pianos, harmonicas, and xylophones.
In 1899, Torakusu traveled to the United States for five months. He visited famous piano makers like W.W. Kimball and Company, Mason and Hamlin, and Steinway and Sons. He learned a lot from them. In 1900, Torakusu and Nippon Gakki made their very first upright piano.
Torakusu received a special award called the Medal of Honor in 1902. He was also involved in his local community. He served as a director for the Hamamatsu Railway. In 1911, he was elected to the Hamamatsu City Council and became its Vice Chairman.
Torakusu also taught instrument making to a young apprentice named Koichi Kawai. Kawai was only 11 years old at the time. When Kawai grew up, he started his own company, Kawai Musical Instruments. His company soon became a rival to Nippon Gakki.
Later Years
Torakusu Yamaha passed away from an illness in Tokyo on August 8, 1916. He was 65 years old. After his death, the company continued to grow and became the famous Yamaha Corporation we know today.
Images for kids
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Torakusu Yamaha, the founder of Yamaha Corporation.
See also
In Spanish: Torakusu Yamaha para niños
