Yamaha Corporation is one of the giant companies established in Japan. The founder of this company was Torakusu Yamaha who was born on April 20, 1851. Torakusu had a father who was a Samurai from Wakayama Prefecture. The father was very interested in the Astronomy and Mechanics and gave his son, Torakusu, a modern education. Torakusu Yamaha got his education under British Engineer, then he completed his internship at his first school in a medical school located in Western Japan, Nagasaki.
Then he took a job as a repairer for medical equipment in a remote city called Hamamatsu. When one of the schools in the area asked for his help to repair the Mason and Hamlin ores, he realized that he has potential in the manufacturing business of organs existed in Japan. In 1887, Torakusu established Yamaha Organ Company Manufacturing which was the first manufacturer of western musical instruments in Japan. And also, it created the first portable reed organ.
Then in 1899, the Ministry of Education in Japan sent Yamaha to the United States to study piano and made as well as assigned suppliers of the materials needed to produce pianos in Japan. Nippon Gakki (Yamaha Corporation) started making upright pianos in 1900 and produced the first piano in 1902 which the manufacturer applied the skill to the best furniture making. At the St.Louis World Fair award in 1904, a piano and an artificial organ from Yamaha was awarded as the best piano award.
In 1914, when the world war I, the sale of harmonica from Germany began to be limited. That situation became the good opportunity for Yamaha and began to introduce the first harmonica which then started to be exported throughout the world. In World War II, Yamaha produced propellers for Japanese fighter planes, tanks, and fuel, as well as this was part that ended up to stop producing musical instruments.
The new technology he learned during the war was produced and made using materials to cast the piano metal from the company. In 1948, the musical instrument sales activity was again run by Yamaha Corporation. It increased because the company was mandated by the Ministry of Education in Japan for public schools of music. In 1955, the Yamaha Corporation became the world’s largest piano producer. It made Yamaha produce various Audio components and in 1955, Yamaha succeeded to produce Hi-Fi record player.
From the various research conducted by Yamaha, the alloy of metal used in the manufacture of acoustic pianos has provided the wide knowledge. The knowledge was finally easily applied to the manufacture of metal frames and parts for motorcycles. The first prototype produced by Yamaha Corporation was Yamaha YA-1, the name was used to honor the founder Torakusu Yamaha who died on August 8, 1916, by Kawakami and the engineers of the company. The making of the prototype itself was completed in 1954. The motorcycle was powered by Cooled air, 2-stroke, 125 ccs single cylinder engine.
In 1960, Yamaha Corporation of America was established and marketed fully of various music and audiovisual instruments in the United States. This is the era of popularity and achievement for Yamaha. It is because Yamaha in America was a wholly owned subsidiary of Yamaha Corporation Japan and the largest of all subsidiaries globally. Since 1980 Yamaha product marketing has begun to focus on piano production, with a built-in computer to record and playback the shows. It was the time that brought a lot of benefits for the company.
In 1993, Yamaha successfully launched Silent Piano and then Silent Trumpet, Drum, Violin, Cello and other various musical instruments. In July 2007, the Yamaha Corporation was finally bought by a minority shareholder of the Kemble family. Until now the company was renamed as Yamaha Music UK Ltd. Kemble & Co. Ltd. Yamaha Company now owns and operates a variety of unique resort facilities in Japan and the company success become more and more. Not only a variety of musical instruments, but this company also became a major manufacturer of motorcycles in Japan. For the motorcycle production, the product has already exported to other countries, especially in Asia. The quality is also as good as other Japan motorbike companies such as Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki.
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