Shigeru Kawai In Malaysia
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Koichi Kawai was a key member of the research and development team that first introduced pianos to Japan. In 1927, he founded the Kawai piano company and soon after designed and patented the first piano action ever made in Japan.
From small beginnings, building on a passion for music and a commitment to investment in new technologies and the skills of its workforce, Kawai has grown to become the second largest musical instrument maker in the world.
With growing exports to more than 80 countries, the name Kawai is synonymous with superior, technologically advanced pianos. Koichi’s son, Shigeru Kawai, was another great piano innovator and in 1980, he opened the Ryuyo Grand Piano Facility, still regarded as the most advanced piano factory in the world.
In 2000, his 80th birthday year, the Shigeru Kawai Foundation was established and the first Shigeru Kawai pianos were built. For more than 30 years now, the company has been preserving and ageing special woods for the manufacture of crucial components. At the same time, it has established a supremely skilled group of piano craftsmen – the Master Piano Artisans – with the specific purpose of hand building Shigeru Kawai concert grand pianos.
Kawai respect for tradition and excellence of manufacture, together with a tremendous investment over the years in piano technology, makes Shigeru Kawai truly the concert grand piano for the 21st century.
Hirotaka Kawai, the third generation of the family now guides the company into advanced technologies such as robotics and ABS-Carbon fibres, as well as green technologies to produce efficient and environmentally sound manufacturing processes. This constant drive towards better methods, better use of materials and the latest technology makes Shigeru Kawai the world’s most advanced concert grand pianos.
The quest for perfection is a rare journey that few choose to undertake. It is not for the faint of heart but only for those with the vision, the will, and the passion to succeed. These qualities, deep in the heart of one man, became the essence of a dream - a dream that would launch a never-ending quest for perfection.
It was nearly a century ago in Japan that an obscure medical instrument technician was struggling alone to build an upright piano from imported parts. One day, he was surprised to see a neighbour's son riding by on a unique pedal-driven cart, the first ever to travel the roads of Hamamatsu, Japan. The aspiring piano builder was so impressed when he learned that the boy had designed and built the cart by himself that he invited the young man to be his apprentice. The next day, the invitation was accepted and a dream was born. The young man, Koichi Kawai, the son of a wagon maker, would set out to build his first piano. The ensuing years would reveal Koichi Kawai's extraordinary genius for design and innovation. He led the research and development team that introduced pianos to his country. Later, he became the first in Japan to design and build a complete piano action, receiving many patents for his designs and inventions. It was an impressive beginning, yet his greatest achievements were still to come.
During the 1920s, the Japanese piano industry began to falter. The company that employed Koichi was struggling and new management had taken control from the original owner. It was then that Koichi Kawai, confident that the pursuit of excellence would always bring opportunity, decided to build a dream of his own. And so, his quest began in 1927 as he and seven kindred colleagues formed the Kawai Musical Instrument Research Laboratory in Hamamatsu, Japan. Together, it was their dream to one day build the world's finest piano. The early years provided many diverse challenges such as the shortage of qualified craftsmen, the continual scarcity of quality materials, and an underdeveloped network of dealers for reaching potential customers.
Yet, the determined company prospered. By the early fifties, Kawai had grown to over 500 people producing over 1500 pianos per year and Koichi Kawai had received the prestigious "Blue Ribbon Medal" from the Emperor of Japan, becoming the first person in the musical instrument industry to receive such an honor.
By the end of its first quarter century, the company had put in place the foundations of excellence and dedication that would motivate and inspire its people for decades to come.
Finally, to take the Kawai message to the people, he initiated a unique door-to-door sales program to encourage music education through piano study.
Working synergistically, these programs flourished. During the 1960's, Kawai had nearly 2,000 door-to-door salesmen in the field and over 300,000 people participating in Kawai music schools across Japan.
With domestic business now firmly established, Shigeru turned his attention toward making Kawai "the sound heard around the world." Ready and able to meet worldwide demand, Shigeru launched Kawai America in 1963 followed by Kawai Europe, Kawai Canada, Kawai Australia and New Zealand, and Kawai Asia. Today, Kawai musical instruments enjoy recognition in every major market in the world.