70 Years of Yamaha

Yamaha Motor Corporation is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, let’s go on a tour through the most important periods in the company's history and explore the growth and philosophy behind the products.

Yamaha Motor Co., commonly known as YMC, was established in 1955 as a spin-off of Nippon Gakki Co. (translating to Japanese Musical Instrument Company). This parent operation was founded in 1897 by Torakusu Yamaha, a skilled toolmaker who repaired watches and medical equipment. 

One day in 1887, the harmonium (a scaled-down organ) imported from Germany to Hamamatsu Elementary School broke down. No such instrument had ever been built in Japan before. Torakusu was contacted to repair it, and he managed to get the instrument working again in a short time. 

While working on the harmonium, he realized he could acquire the necessary knowledge to build such an instrument by himself. After multiple attempts, he built the first functional Japanese harmonium. However, some local musicians expressed negative opinions about it after they gave it a try. 

In order to obtain an expert assessment of his masterpiece, Torakusu traveled to Tokyo to present it to the professors at the University of Arts and Music, carrying the harmonium on his shoulders for 155 miles. Unfortunately, the professors' verdict was also negative. Although the musical instrument was well made, it was completely out of tune.