The history of woodwind manufacturing in Japan had its origins in 1894 when Tokutaro Yanagisawa began repairing imported woodwinds for military band members. Within that wartime setting, Tokutaro's repair shop soon evolved into an instrument factory -- the first to build woodwind instruments on Japanese soil.
Tokutaro's son Takanobu followed in his father's footsteps, choosing to pursue a career in the craft of instrument-making, and built his first prototype saxophone in 1951.
Although saxophones were already being produced in Japan by then, they were little more than children's toys compared to the instruments imported from abroad.
By that point in time, woodwind makers worldwide were already producing saxophones of unrivaled quality, many of which are still prized and played by performing artists even today.
Our saxophones began to approach professionally acceptable levels of quality around 20 years back.
However, we have yet to produce a line of saxophones that can completely satisfy our expectations.
Our experience has been one of enduring the hardships involved in cultivating a quality product. Musical instrument-making is not about producing a given form or shape but more about producing a certain sound from that form or shape.
It is this creation of a desired sound or voice that cultivates the musical instrument in turn.
Although that may sound irrational, I am convinced it is true.