Yamaha Corporation

Torakusu Yamaha, founder of Yamaha Corporation

Nippon Gakki Co., Ltd. (日本楽器製造株式会社, Nihon Gakki Seizō Kabushiki gaisha, lit. 'Japan Musical Instrument Manufacture') was established in 1887 as a reed organ manufacturer by Torakusu Yamaha (山葉寅楠) in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture and was incorporated on 12 October 1897. In 1900, the company started the production of pianos. The first piano to be made in Japan was an upright built in 1900 by Torakusu Yamaha, founder of Nippon Gakki Co., Ltd. — later renamed Yamaha Corporation.[3] The company's origins as a musical instrument manufacturer are still reflected today in the group's logo—a trio of interlocking tuning forks.[4][3]

After World War II, company president Genichi Kawakami repurposed the remains of the company's war-time production machinery and the company's expertise in metallurgical technologies to the manufacture of motorcycles. The YA-1 (AKA Akatombo, the "Red Dragonfly"), of which 125 were built in the first year of production (1954), was named in honour of the founder. It was a 125cc, single cylinder, two-stroke street bike patterned after the German DKW RT 125 (which the British munitions firm, BSA, had also copied in the post-war era and manufactured as the Bantam and Harley-Davidson as the Hummer). In 1955,[5] the success of the YA-1 resulted in the founding of Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., splitting the motorcycle division from the company. Also, in 1954 the Yamaha Music School was founded.[3]

Yamaha has grown into the world's largest manufacturer of musical instruments (including pianos, "silent" pianos, drums, guitars, brass instruments, woodwinds, violins, violas, cellos, and vibraphones), and a leading manufacturer of semiconductors, audio/visual, computer related products, sporting goods, home appliances, specialty metals, and industrial robots.[6] Yamaha released the Yamaha CS-80 in 1977.

In 1983, Yamaha made the first commercially successful digital synthesizer, the Yamaha DX7.

In 1988, Yamaha shipped the world's first CD recorder.[7] Yamaha purchased Sequential Circuits in 1988.[8] It bought a majority stake (51%) of competitor Korg in 1987, which was bought out by Korg in 1993.[9]

Yamaha Ginza Building in Tokyo is the largest musical instrument store in Japan. The complex includes a shopping area, concert hall, and music studio.

In the late 1990s, Yamaha released a series of portable battery operated keyboards under the PSS and the PSR range of keyboards. The Yamaha PSS-14 and PSS-15 keyboards were upgrades to the Yamaha PSS-7 with short demo songs, short selectable phrases, and sound effects.[10]

In 2002, Yamaha closed its archery product business that was started in 1959. Six archers in five different Olympic Games won gold medals using their products.[11]

In January 2005, it acquired German audio software manufacturer Steinberg from Pinnacle Systems. In July 2007, Yamaha bought out the minority shareholding of the Kemble family in Yamaha-Kemble Music (UK) Ltd, Yamaha's UK import and musical instrument and professional audio equipment sales division. It was renamed Yamaha Music U.K. Ltd in late 2007.[12] Kemble & Co. Ltd, the UK piano sales & manufacturing arm, was unaffected.[13]

On 20 December 2007, Yamaha made an agreement with the Austrian Bank BAWAG P.S.K. Group BAWAG to purchase all the shares of Bösendorfer,[14] intended to take place in early 2008. Yamaha intends to continue manufacturing at the Bösendorfer facilities in Austria.[15] The acquisition of Bösendorfer was announced after the NAMM Show in Los Angeles, on 28 January 2008. As of 1 February 2008, Bösendorfer Klavierfabrik GmbH operates as a subsidiary of Yamaha Corp.[16]

Yamaha Corporation is widely known for its music teaching programme that began in the 1950s. Yamaha electronics have proven to be successful, popular, and respected products. For example, the Yamaha YPG-625 was awarded "Keyboard of the Year" and "Product of the Year" in 2007 from The Music and Sound Retailer magazine.[17] Other noteworthy Yamaha electronics include the SHS-10 Keytar, a consumer-priced keytar which offered MIDI output features normally found on much more expensive keyboards.

Other companies in the Yamaha Corporation group include:

• Bösendorfer Klavierfabrik GmbH, Vienna, Austria.
• Yamaha Fine Technologies Co., Ltd.
• Yamaha Music Communications Co., Ltd.
• Yamaha Pro Audio
• Steinberg
• Ampeg
• Line 6

Kandō (感動) is a Japanese word used by Yamaha Corporation to describe its corporate mission. Kandō is the sensation of profound excitement and gratification derived from experiencing supreme quality and performance.[18] Some reasonable English equivalents are "emotionally touching" or "emotionally moving".

The Yamaha Music Foundation is an organization established in 1966 by the authority of the Japanese Ministry of Education for the purpose of promoting music education and music popularization. It continued a program of music classes begun by Yamaha Corporation in 1954.[19]

Yamaha expanded into many diverse businesses and product groups. The first venture into each major category is listed below.[20]

• 1887 Reed organs
• 1900 Pianos
• 1903 Furniture
• 1914 Harmonicas
• 1922 Audio equipment (crank phonograph first)
• 1942 Guitars
• 1955 Motorcycles – made by Yamaha Motor Company, which started as an affiliated company of Nippon Gakki (Yamaha Corporation's name at the time) but is a separate company today
• 1959 Sporting goods (starting with archery)
• 1959 Music schools
• 1961 Metal alloys
• 1965 Band instruments (trumpet first)
• 1967 Drums
• 1971 Semiconductors
• 2000 Yamaha Music Communications (record company)
• 2001 Yamaha Entertainment Group (record company)

• 
  Yamaha Grand Piano
• 
  Yamaha Keyboard
• 
  Yamaha Drumset
• 
  Yamaha Saxophone
• 
  A collection of Yamaha Guitars
• 
  Yamaha Acoustic Guitar Amp
• 
  Yamaha Mixing Console
• 
  Yamaha Hi-Fi
• 
  Yamaha Sound Chip
• 
  Yamaha AV Receiver
• 
  Yamaha Speakers
• 
  Yamaha DVD Player
• 
  Yamaha Aerox Scooter
• 
  Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbike
• 
  Yamaha Waverunner
• 
  Yamaha Nytro Snowmobile
• 
  Yamaha Blaster ATV
• 
  Yamaha YXZ 1000R UTV
• 
  Yamaha Golf Car
• 
  Yamaha Inflatable Boat
• 
  Yamaha Outboard Motor

• The Yamaha Music School is operated by the Yamaha Music School Association under the name Yamaha Music School and its curriculum is offered at Yamaha Music Retailing stores, which are wholly owned subsidiaries of Yamaha, and at about 1,400 special stores. As of 2004 (Heisei 16), there were 500,000 students.
• Music schools under direct management have been established in China and Korea.

The company began by manufacturing high-end furniture based on its expertise in wood processing for piano manufacturing, and was spun off into a separate company in 1991 with the establishment of YAMAHA Livingtec (YLT). The company manufactured and sold unit baths, system kitchens, and other products. In 1992, the company decided to stop selling system furniture, and after narrowing down its product lineup, it terminated orders and production in 2005 March.[21]

In 2010, Yamaha sold its 85.1% stake in YLT to Japan Industrial Partners and three foreign investment funds as part of a restructuring. At this point, the YAMAHA brand and company name continued, but the company essentially withdrew from management. Subsequently, YLT conducted a MBO of the investments of Yamaha and the investment funds, and the company name was changed as of 1 October 2013[22][23] and withdrew from the housing equipment business in both name and reality.

In Japan, the company maintains three factories for musical instrument manufacture, engine and various vehicle manufacture (motorcycles and marine products), with all factories located in Shizuoka Prefecture.

• Kakegawa Factory
  • 1480, Ryoke, Kakegawa-shi, Shizuoka
• Toyooka Factory
  • 203, Matsunokijima, Iwata-shi, Shizuoka
• Tenryu Factory
  • 283, Aoyacho, Minami-ku Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka

• Yamaha Jubilo—Rugby
• Júbilo Iwata—Football

• List of phonograph manufacturers
• List of studio monitor manufacturers
• Yamaha Motor Company
• Yamaha Pro Audio
• mLAN
• Yamaha XG
• Yamaha Artist

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yamaha Corporation.

• Official website