A wooden Toyoda
handloom (a reproduction created from the patent drawings)
Kiichiro Toyoda was the founder of Toyota Motor Corporation
and the automotive centered Toyota Group. Kiichiro used the spirit of invention
and the business base inherited from his father Sakichi Toyoda to expand into
the automotive business and build the foundation of today's Toyota Group. To
understand the spirit of Toyota Motor Corporation’s foundation, therefore, it
is necessary to go back to the ideas of Kiichiro, the company’s founder, and
Sakichi, his father, and to trace the path of business prior to automobiles.
Sakichi Toyoda was born on February 14, 1867 in the village
of Yamaguchi (now part of the city of Kosai) in Shizuoka Prefecture. This year
also marked the birth of modern Japan. On October 14, 1867, Yoshinobu Tokugawa,
the 15th and final shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate submitted his resignation
and handed the reins of government to the imperial court, a change which was
effected on December 9. This marked the establishment of the new Meiji
government, and the first year of the Meiji era began.
Sakichi was greatly inspired by the book Saigoku risshi hen,
published in 1870. The book was a Japanese version of Samuel Smiles' English
Self-Help, translated by Professor Masanao Nakamura of Shizuoka Gakumonsho, and
was a bestseller in the Meiji era, selling over one million copies. The work,
which described an inventor who designed textile machinery such as spinning
machines and power looms, sparked Sakichi's desire to learn. Furthermore, the
Patent Monopoly Act of April 1885 encouraged and protected invention. It is
said that these factors drew Sakichi's interest and inspired him to embark on
loom invention.
While assisting with his father's carpentry business,
Sakichi struck upon the idea of improving the batten-equipped tall loom2, and
began devoting all of his time to the project.
In 1890, Sakichi moved to the home of a hometown
acquaintance who lived in Yokohama in order to submit a patent for his improved
hand loom design, traveling to the patent office in Tokyo to file the necessary
application.3 The patent application for this wooden hand loom was accepted in
November that year, and was awarded patent No. 1195, "Loom", the
following year on May 14, 1891. Sakichi's address stated on the patent was 5-20
Kaigandori, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, residing temporarily at the
residence of Tanizo Sahara.
Toyoda power loom
(Japan's first self-powered loom; wood-iron composite）
The first power loom invented in Japan was the device
awarded patent No. 3173 "Loom" in August 1898. The Toyoda Power Loom,
based on this patent, was a wood-iron composite power loom which featured a
wooden frame combined with iron gears and shafts in the power transmission
mechanism.
During his lifetime, Sakichi was awarded a total of 45
industrial property rights, including 40 patents and five utility model rights.
Furthermore, he filed eight of his Japanese patents in 19 countries outside
Japan, obtaining 62 overseas patents in total1, including a circular loom2, a
thread reeler and automatic stoppage device3, and an automatic shuttle changing
mechanism (push-up mechanism).
Of the 45 industrial property rights awarded to Sakichi, 38-the
majority-were looms or loom-related mechanisms. Of his other inventions, four
were devices related to fabric preparation, including a yarn-winding machine
and a weft winding machine, while three were related to a circular single flow
motor (rotary steam engine).
Excluding his first wooden hand loom, all of Sakichi
Toyoda's inventions and ideas were related to power looms.
Power looms are weaving machines operated by a driver such
as a water wheel, steam engine, gas engine or electric motor. Of the types of
power looms, those that automatically replace the weft thread in the shuttle
when thread runs out are known as automatic looms, and those without this
function are known as regular looms.
Types of automatic loom include the shuttle-changing type,
which replaces the shuttle containing the bobbin as the weft thread is about to
run out, and the cop-changing type, which restocks the bobbin only. Although
Sakichi invented automatic looms of both types, he placed greater focus on the
shuttle-changing type. This shuttle-change automatic loom would require further
inventions by Kiichi and others before it could be fully appreciated and ready
for widespread use. Sakichi’s inventions were primarily related to ordinary
weaving mechanisms, but these were an essential technology for automatic looms.
Expansion into Nagoya
The Kosai region, Sakichi Toyoda's birthplace, was known for
its enshu cotton and had a thriving textile industry. Sakichi's mother was a
farmer by day, while working as a weaver by night. It is said that this
inspired Sakichi to invent a new loom to make the job of weaving easier.
After Sakichi's invention of the power loom, several loom
manufacturers established businesses in the Hamamatsu area of Enshu, including
Suzuki Loom Works (now Suzuki Motor Corporation), Suzumasa Shokki (later
renamed as Enshu Saisaku; now Enshu Ltd.).
Although the Hamamatsu region near Kosai was becoming a
center for the weaving industry, Sakichi chose to move to Nagoya as an
acquaintance from his hometown, Sakuzo Nozue, who worked in the ironworking
industry, lived there. In 1894, Sakichi visited Nozue and asked him to produce
iron parts for his looms. The following year in 1895, Nozue manufactured iron
loom components, which were assembled at Sakichi's power loom testing plant.
The prototype for the power loom was completed in 1896, and after test
operation and improvements was ready for practical use. As mentioned earlier,
Sakichi acquired a patent for this invention in 1898.
In 1894, Sakichi Toyoda invented a yarn winding machine and
applied for a patent on June 27 that year. According to the patent application
form for patent No. 2472 "yarn-winding machine", Sakichi's address at
the time was 12 Asahi-machi, Nagoya City. His first son, Kiichiro, had been
born on June 11, earlier in the month.
Sakichi established a retail outlet, Toyoda Shoten, in
Asahi-machi, Nagoya City (near the current Nishiki, Naka-ku area), selling
yarn-winding machines while working on development of a power loom. Sakichi's
younger brother Heikichi assisted with sales of yarn winding machines, and was
responsible for sales in the Kanto region. Once the prototype for the power
loom was completed in 1896, a power source was needed to drive the machine
during test operation. Heikichi also handled this matter, purchasing a
second-hand steam engine and managing to fix it well enough to run the power
loom.
With support from Heikichi and Sasuke (his youngest
brother), Toyoda Shoten's business grew steadily. In 1897 operations expanded
with the construction of a plant at 15 Buhei-cho 3-chome, Nagoya City (near the
current Izumi 1-chome, Higashi-ku area), and in January 1906 the Shimasaki-cho
Plant was built at 1 Shimasaki-cho, Nishi-ku, Nagoya City (near the current
Meieki, Nakamura-ku area). While the Buhei-cho Plant covered 1,300 square
meters, the Shimasaki-cho Plant was seven times larger, covering 9,400 square
meters. Between the establishment of the two plants, the company name was
changed from Toyoda Shoten to Toyoda Shokai Office in 1902. The foundations for
invention were steadily falling into place.
Source: TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION
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