Search results
Yamaha was the first Japanese manufacturer of the reed organ and established Nippon Gakki Co Ltd in Hamamatsu to produce organs and other musical instruments including pianos and harmonicas. Nippon Gakki was later renamed the Yamaha Corporation in his honor.
Yamaha's history began when its founder, Torakusu Yamaha, repaired a broken reed organ in 1887. Shortly thereafter, he successfully completed the first reed organ.
- The Early Years
- Diversification Into New Areas
- Audio Comes of Age
- An Era of Rapid Expansion
- Yamaha Today
- Anatomy of A Logo
- Milestones
Encouraged by his success and recognizing the need for quality musical instruments, Torakusu began creating a prototype reed organ of his own. When it was complete, he decided to present it in person to the prestigious Music Institute (today’s Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music). The journey between the two cities at that time was a l...
In the late 1940s, Genichi Kawakami, then-president of Yamaha, began looking for ways to apply the company’s expertise to the manufacture of motorcycles. In 1955, the success of the YA-1 “Red Dragonfly” resulted in the founding of Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. At around the same time, Nippon Gakki began research into the use of new materials such as glass...
Despite the worldwide success of Yamaha Motors, the central theme of Nippon Gakki remained true to its founder’s central interest: music. During the “Hi-Fi” boom of the 1950s, the company began producing audio components to help music lovers enjoy their leisure time. When integrated circuits began replacing transistors in the early 1970s, Nippon Ga...
The 1980s were a time of growth for Yamaha. In 1982, the Disklavier™ was unveiled – a revolutionary product that combined an acoustic piano with a built-in computer to record and play back performances. The DX7 digital synthesizer, introduced in 1983, quickly became the world’s best-selling synth. In 1987, Yamaha released its first digital mixer, f...
In 1960, Nippon Gakki established the Yamaha International Corporation (later renamed Yamaha Corporation of America). Today, Yamaha is the world’s largest manufacturer of musical instruments, as well as a leading manufacturer of semiconductors, AV components, computer-related products, sporting goods, household and furniture products, specialty met...
In 1898, Nippon Gakki adopted a tuning fork as the basis for an official company logo, inspired by the challenge faced by founder Torakusu Yamaha as he struggled to refine his reed organ prototype into one that held its tuning. The three tuning forks of the modern Yamaha logo symbolize the three essential musical elements: melody, harmony and rhyth...
Here are a few milestones in the history of Yamaha: 1887: First reed organ 1900: First upright piano 1902: First grand piano 1914: First harmonica 1915: First xylophone 1932: First pipe organ 1954: First Hi-Fi player 1959: First electric organ 1966: First acoustic guitar; first electric guitar; first electric bass; first guitar amplifier; first tru...
As part of his job, Yamaha repaired surgical equipment in Hamamatsu, a small Pacific coastal fishing town. Because of their area's isolation, a township school there asked him in 1887 to repair their prized U.S.-made Mason & Hamlin reed organ.
Jul 3, 2019 · Unfortunately, his firm, by now a joint stock company called Yamaha organ makers, ran into difficulties, when some of the investors wanted their money back. The people of Hamamatsu still looked at the man from Wakayama as an outsider, whom they distrusted.
Incredibly this story begins in 1887 in the Japanese city of Hamamatsu. The principal of an elementary school summoned a young watchmaker/medical equipment repairman named Torakusu Yamaha to ask if he could fix the school’s beloved reed organ.
People also ask
When did Yamaha start making reed organs?
Who invented the reed organ?
What happened to Wakayama organs?
What happened to Yamaha organ makers?
Why did Torakusu create a reed organ?
Can Yamaha solve a reed organ problem?
We exhibit the history and materials for manufacturing western musical instruments in Hamamatsu and in Japan as well.We have many exhibits for expression pedal reed organs from Meiji to early...
