Why Musical Instrument Makers Converged in the Tokai Region

There are good historical and geographical reasons why the Tokai region has become a mecca for Japanese musical instrument makers. However, there are more interesting factors involved than can be explained by that alone.


First, the Tokai region, especially Shizuoka and Aichi prefectures, is a region where woodworking techniques have been developed since ancient times. The techniques of furniture making and the manufacture of Buddhist altars and ritual articles that have been around since the Edo period could also be applied to the making of musical instruments. For example, craftsmen in Hamamatsu City originally made wooden furniture and farming tools, but their high precision and beautiful finishings were transferred to the manufacture of pianos and wind instruments. Thus, musical instrument manufacturers such as Yamaha and Kawai were born.


However, geographical factors alone do not end the story. The "musical instrument industry ecosystem" that extends around Hamamatsu functions as if it were a city designed for music. For example, Hamamatsu was once a center of the munitions industry and accumulated high-precision machining technology. After the war, this technology was converted to peaceful uses, and the manufacture of precision parts for making musical instruments flourished.


Furthermore, Hamamatsu is known for its strong winds. Hamamatsu is also known for its strong winds, so much so that there is a term for it: "Enshu kara-kaze" (Enshu wind). The low humidity and quick drying of the wood made it a perfect environment for the manufacture of musical instruments. Because the wood could be processed with minimal distortion caused by humidity, instruments of consistent quality could be produced.


There is also an anecdote that Yamaha's founder, Torakusu Yamaha, began manufacturing musical instruments after repairing organs. He systematized this technique and applied it to piano manufacturing, which led to the development of Hamamatsu into the capital of musical instruments. Subsequently, Kawai Gakki (Kawai) and Suzuki Gakki were born one after another, and the Tokai region became a world-class musical instrument manufacturing center.


These factors were intricately intertwined, and the Tokai region became "a center of musical instrument manufacturers. Today, not only Yamaha and Kawai, but many other precision instrument makers have put down roots in this region. The story of this intersection of coincidence and necessity is as rhythmic and romantic as music itself.