Japanese Music Industry

Mitsuo Kasahara served as the first president of Yamaha Corporation of America after setting up the branch office in Southern California in 1961.  Three years earlier he established the first Yamaha office in Mexico as well!  These were the first branches in North America, which led to a period of major growth for the company.  Fun fact: it was Mitsuo-san who was the first Yamaha employee to work in the company's first booth as an exhibitor at the NAMM Show back in 1957.

Kazuo Kashio was president of the Casio Musical Instrument Company during the heyday of electronic keyboard sales. The company produced some innovative products during that time and continues today to focus on product design and innovations. Mr. Kashio provided the rich history behind how the company was formed and his vision to lead the company into the technology driven electric keyboard market in the 1970s and 80s. With the focus on digital technology, Mr. Kashio then created a series of products covering several musical and non-musical products, keeping Casio among the creativ

Hirokazu Kato took part in the innovative engineering team at Yamaha in Japan who utilized FM Synthesis to create an electronic musical instrument, first the TRX prototype and then the revolutionary DX7.  Kato-san began his career with Yamaha in 1965 when he helped design the company's first clarinet while working in the wind instrument division.  After becoming Systems Engineer and studying at Columbia University, he returned to Japan where he worked on sound processing chips and the LSI technology required when John Chowning's discoveries of FM Synthesis became the framework for

Seiki Kato was the president of KORG, the Japan based electronics company that has created innovative musical products since his father first established the company in the 1970s. Seiki provided meaningful insight into the international growth of KORG as well as his philosophy moving forward as it relates to global sales and distribution. At the time of his interview, at the 2018 NAMM Show in Anaheim, Seiki expressed gratitude for the fact that his late father was interviewed for the NAMM Oral History program, where it will forever be an opportunity for all those who knew him to r

Tsutomu Katoh had many ideas for using electronics to improve the way people make music in their homes. As the founder of KORG, Katoh-san (also spelled Kato) was able to see his ideas turn into successful musical products. The company introduced an impressive line of products, many of which revolutionized the industry. One such innovative product was the M1, the first synthesizer work station. Mr. Katoh took time during his interview for NAMM to speak of the importance of teamwork and the incredible team, from engineers to the sales force, that he assembled at KORG over the years.

Hirotaka Kawai was the president of the Kawai Music Corporation in Japan following in the footsteps of his grandfather, the company's founder and his father, who expanded the company after World War II. Kawai-San played a vital role in the development of factories both within Japan and in several other Asian countries. While maintaining a strong and dedicated dealer base, the company has also been active in music education programs, which increase the number of active music makers and strengthen the mission of the company to provide high-quality products that inspire musicians.

Sanjiro Kawamorita was drafted into the Japanese Army during World War II. He served under Shigeru Kawai who hired Kawamorita-San and other soldiers from his unit after the war. He remained with the piano manufacturer, based in Hamamatsu Japan until his retirement for a total of 53 years!  Before his retirement, Kawamorita-san became active in the JMAI as well as The International Music Day in Japan, which encourages students to study classical music.  Ever since he was a young boy, Kawamorita-san sang Japanese folk songs and has a deep passion for teaching young vocalists so that

Yoshinori Kimbara was a former Yamaha Japan Corporation executive who worked under Genichi Kawakami beginning in the 1950s.  He was the first general manager of the Yamaha Music Foundation, which was created to strengthen music education in Japan.  Kimbara-San was associated with recreational music-making programs, which have since become an important segment within the music products industry and music education programs around the world.

Keisuke Kobayashi is the Director and Chief Marketing Officer for Audio-Technica in Japan.  His long and very interesting career in the music products industry started when he began working for Yamaha in the 1970s.  The company asked if Keisuke-san would travel to the United States as a management trainee.

Yoshi Kobayashi began working for Yamaha Corporation of America in 1958.  In the early days of his career he was tasked with supervising the import and export of the motorcycle division.  As the musical instrument side of the company grew and expanded into the United States, Yoshi-san was placed in charge and soon created the foundation for the Yamaha distribution plan.  He and his team worked hard to manage the customs rules as well as ensure the products arrived safe and on time.  He retired from the company in 1995 having enjoyed his career in the music industry!  

Takanori Kojima is a seasoned Japanese entrepreneur and guitarist whose profound interest in guitars and audio engineering has been a driving force throughout his career. While studying law with a focus on business management and marketing, Takanori dedicated over 40 years to Yamaha Corporation, gaining invaluable experience in retail, sales, and marketing across various store locations in Japan. His passion for empowering customers led him to establish his own wholesale company, aptly named after his favorite major seventh chord, reflecting his commitment to encouraging everyone

Akira Komaki recalled the early days of his grandfather’s career as a Japanese retailer. Akira took over the company from his father, the eldest son of his grandfather. Komaki Music opened its doors in 1931 and has since become a part of the Tokyo landscape. Akira has studied the American music retailers and provided an impressive comparison of how he has seen them charge over the years.  

Masako Koyama worked closely with the Japan Music Trades Magazine founder, Mr. Hiyama. The magazine was launched in 1962 with the goal of sharing stories about the instruments and people in the industry to help bring the industry together. Koyama-san joined these efforts in 1976 and was soon sent to the Chicago NAMM Show, which was rare for a women reporter to make such a journey in those days. She was also covering the music industry in Czechoslovakia in 1989 when the change of socialist regime took place, which was a peaceful revolution and an historic event for her to witness f

June Kuramoto was born in Japan but raised in Southern California, where her passion for traditional Japanese instruments melded with American soul music.

Yutaha Kurihara formed his own case company in Japan, which came into its own in the 1989s when he introduced a line of cases in a variety of colors.  Since that time Yutaha has been very active in the Tokyo Manufacturing Association.  He found his involvement and volunteer work with the associations within the industry were of great benefit to his business.  Wanting to give back, Yutaha helped develop programs to provide training to help grow the industry.

Tsunesaburo Kurosawa had a deep passion for instrument building and became one of Japan’s leading classical guitar luthiers. The success of his guitars led him to establish a showcase for his instruments, and he soon opened his own shop in Tokyo. This achievement was followed by a second location. As sales increased, Kurosawa-san expanded his craftsmanship to include folk and even electric guitars to meet the growing demands of his customers.  

Nat Kusano has always been compelled to create and market ideas and products that inspire and encourage people to pick up an instrument and play. Having had piano lessons when he was a child, Nat grew up understanding the importance of providing the right tools, such as method books with large notes for those with sight challenges or marketing materials on the Internet that engage younger audiences. Nat wants to encourage teachers with the right tools because, after all, they are the ones who in turn inspire the music student to stay active.

Yoko Leader learned to play as a student of the Yamaha Electone school but later graduated from university with a major in Mathematics. When Yoko was picked up from graduation by Matsushita Electric, her interest in music steered her towards joining the Electronic Musical Instruments Division, which manufactured the Technics brand.

Takaki Maeda and his team were celebrating the 40th anniversary of Casio's Musical Instruments division while attending the NAMM Show in 2020. This special occasion was the perfect opportunity for us to sit down with Maeda-San for his NAMM Oral History interview. His perspective on the growth and development of the company and its innovative products is unique because his role has been marketing vs. manufacturing. Maeda-San was often involved with the development of products and had exclusive insight into the product launch before being sent to the marketing department.

Yasuharu Mano’s grandfather opened a toy business in 1902 in Japan and by 1917 expanded to include a small line of harmonicas. Soon, the harmonica became in high demand and the company changed directions to focus on the making of musical instruments. Yasuharu played a large role in the marketing of the Tombo brand name on accordions and harmonicas later teaming up with others to design and create brand new models, such as the now famous Lee Oskar harmonica.  

Kazuo Matsushita is the son of the founder of Audio-Technica, a creative and innovative company that has been an important  part of the music industry since the early 1960s.  When Kazuo began working full time for the company, he led the teams that focused on the designs and production of headphones and microphones.  He later became very active in wireless technology, which has been another important area for the company.

Fumio Mieda was hired by the founder of KORG, Tsutomu Katoh, back in 1967. Mieda-san began working on a number of innovations as he hoped to improve the function of electronic organs. The results of his efforts led to a number of advances for the emerging synthesizer. Just prior to this, Mr. Mieda developed the Uni-Vibe, which was used famously by Jimi Hendrix (a fact he did not discover for some ten years). While at KORG he focused on monophonic and later polyphonic synthesizers including the now historic Prototype No. 1, and later the PE series of polyphonic synthesizers includi

Toshihiko Miki is the ninth-generation leader of the esteemed Miki Musical Instruments Company in Japan, with deep roots in Osaka, where his mother was a piano teacher. His early exposure to music, playing an OEM Yamaha piano made by his company, laid the foundation for his future endeavors. After studying marketing in college and gaining diverse industry experience, including a three-year tenure at Yamaha, Toshihiko joined the family business full-time. His initial role managing a music school with 300 students, followed by positions in finance and accounting, culminated in his a

Jun-Ichi Miki joined the Roland Corporation in 1977 right after graduating from university. After working in research of sound synthesis and analysis for electronic musical instruments, in 1994 he joined the Board of Directors. In 2013, Jun-ichi was named Roland’s new CEO and his background in Research and Development helps Roland remain on the cutting edge of product design. During his oral history interview at the 2018 NAMM Show, Jun-Ichi discusses the development and role of MIDI within Roland and the music products industry.

Yoichi Minagawa began his career in the music industry in 1961 on the sales floor of a large music store in the heart of Tokyo. Minagawa-san soon met Moridaira-san, the founder of the company he would later manage and run. Moridaira-san (who passed away in 2011) became a mentor to Minagawa-san and someone he credits for helping him establish his own successful career in the music business. In recent years Minagawa-san expanded the business while continuing the meaningful traditions set by Moridaira-san.  

Hiro Miyaji is the president of Miyaji Music, which opened in 1917 in Japan.  He later expanded the wholesale business his grandfather started to include retailing.  The company began providing wood instrument accessories such as violin bows.  Miyaji Music had been distributing their products all throughout Japan and even into China before World War II.  Their woodworking skills gained the attention of Yamaha after the war, who asked for wood legs for the Electone Organ be designed and created.  Soon Miyaji Music was distributing Yamaha products throughout Japan.

Masashi Miyazawa formed the Miyazawa Flutes Company in 1969. Mr. Miyazawa founded the company with a dream to create a better instrument. With his background in the design and manufacture of professional flutes, Miyazawa successfully brought together traditional craftsmanship with advanced technologies, a principle which still applies today. In the 1970s he and Iowa retailer Pearl West collaborated to tailor the Miyazawa flute to meet the needs of North American flutists. Through their combined research and extensive analysis, many innovations resulted such as the formulation of n

Makoto Muroi's passion for music began in school when he played the French Horn.  He studied computers in college and worked on microcomputer development.  While working on drum machines at Roland, Mr. Kakehashi suggested to Makoto that he explore how video and music can better work together with computer technology.  After Mr. Kakehashi retired from Roland (for three months) he created a new company to focus on video and music called ATV.  Once again he asked Makoto to help with both the companies drum products as well as the video products.

Chieko Nakamura is the CEO for Jujiya Musical Instrument Company in Ginza, Tokyo. The harp and flute retailer is also known by the shorter name Ginza Jujiya. The company was established in 1874 by her great grandfather. The company's early focus was on reed organs and in fact they produced their first organ within two years of opening the business. While the company survived two world wars and a major earthquake, Nakamura-San feels the attention to customers and quality of products has been their foundation and the reason for their success.

Takuya Nakata is the Director and Executive Officer for Yamaha in Japan. During his NAMM Oral History interview he provided details about the development of Yamaha’s electronic musical products beginning with the D-1 organ in 1959. Mr. Nakata also related the stories of the GS-1 digital keyboard in 1981 and how that technology lead to the revolutionary DX-7, which was introduced in 1983 and forever changed the way MIDI and electronic keyboards were designed. These successes lead to the creation of PCM sound source, the VL1 synthesizer (1993) and Yamaha’s own LSI’s.  

Toyomasa Namikawa was the founder and chairman of the board for the Japan music publisher Teine Corp., which was named after his initials. He dedicated his life to providing students and teachers with band instrument publications throughout Japan. While attending the Midwest Band Clinics in the late 1960s, he was able to arrange exclusive distribution rights for Japan with three of the most influential band instrument publishers in the United States, Hal Leonard, C. Barnhouse and Neil Kjos Music. Mr. Namikawa was a passionate leader within the music publishing industry and was pro

Toyoshi Namikawa grew up in the music publishing business because his father was the founder of the Teine Corporation. Located in Tokyo Japan, Teine has played an important role in the Japanese industry, providing exclusive distribution of publications from C. Barnhouse and Neil Kjos. Following in his father's footsteps, Toyoshi has sought to expand the companies publications to include materials published by Hal Leonard and other publishers.