Musical instrument manufacturing industry

Japanese: 楽器製造業 - がっきせいぞうぎょう

Modern musical instrument manufacturing in Japan began when Yamaha Torakusu, founder of Nippon Gakki Manufacturing (now Yamaha), succeeded in making an organ in 1887. Nippon Gakki Manufacturing absorbed Western technology by inviting engineers from Germany and sending employees overseas. Although most of its factories were burned down during World War II, it grew rapidly in the 1960s, riding the wave of high economic growth, and became a world leader in musical instrument manufacturing, despite the decline of the musical instrument industry in Western countries. The musical instrument manufacturing industry is characterized by: (1) generally tends to be labor-intensive and produce a wide variety of products in small quantities; (2) there are more than 1,000 business establishments, including about 170 companies affiliated with the Japan Musical Instrument Manufacturers Association, individual businesses that handle high-end handicrafts, and subcontractors, totaling nearly 300 companies, most of which are located in Shizuoka Prefecture, where the two major manufacturers are located; and (3) on the other hand, there are Yamaha and Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing, the world's first and second largest comprehensive musical instrument manufacturers.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

日本における近代的楽器製造は，日本楽器製造(現ヤマハ)の創業者山葉寅楠が1887年オルガン製作に成功したことに始まる。日本楽器製造は，ドイツから技術者を招いたり海外に社員を派遣して欧米の技術を吸収，第2次大戦で工場の大半を焼失したが，1960年代に入って，高度成長の波にも乗って急成長し，欧米諸国の楽器産業斜陽化をよそに，世界をリードするまでになっていった。楽器製造業の特徴としては，(1)総じて労働集約的で多品種少量生産の傾向が強い，(2)メーカーは，全国楽器製造業協会加盟の約170社，高級手工品を手がける個人業者，下請業者を加えると300社近く，事業所は1000を超すが，ほとんどが二大メーカーの立地する静岡県にある，(3)その一方で，世界1,2位の楽器総合メーカー，ヤマハ，河合楽器製作所が存在する，ということがあげられる。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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