was a Japanese inventor and industrialist. He was born in Kosai, Shizuoka. The son of a farmer and sought-after carpenter, he started the Toyoda family companies. His son,

Kiichiro Toyoda was a Japanese businessman and the son of Toyoda Loom Works founder Sakichi Toyoda. His decision to change Toyoda's focus from automatic loom manufacture into automobile manufacturing created what would become Toyota Motor Corporation. Toyoda ...

, would later establish Japan's largest automaker,

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

. Toyoda is referred to as the "King of Japanese Inventors".

Toyoda Automatic Loom Works

Toyoda Automatic Loom Works was the engineering manufacturing company established by Sakichi Toyoda in 1926. It earned him the moniker of father of the Japanese industrial revolution. He is also the founder of Toyota Industries Co., Ltd. Toyoda invented and innovated numerous textile-focused

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...

devices, introducing innovative fueling systems used to power his Toyoda-branded machines. His most famous invention was the automatic power loom in which he implemented the principle of '' Jidoka'' ( autonomous automation). The principle of ''Jidoka'', which means that the machine stops itself when a problem occurs, became later a part of the

Toyota Production System The Toyota Production System (TPS) is an integrated socio-technical system, developed by Toyota, that comprises its management philosophy and practices. The TPS is a management system that organizes manufacturing and logistics for the automobile m ...

. Toyoda developed the concept of

5 Whys Five whys (or 5 whys) is an iterative interrogative technique used to explore the cause-and-effect relationships underlying a particular problem. The primary goal of the technique is to determine the root cause of a defect or problem by repeating ...

: When a problem occurs, ask "why" five times to try to find the source of the problem, then put into place something to prevent the problem from recurring. This concept is used today as part of applying lean methodologies to solve problems, improve quality, and reduce costs. The luxury vehicle

Toyota Century The is a limousine produced mainly for the Japanese market, serving as Toyota's flagship car within Japan; globally the unrelated Lexus LS series is Toyota's flagship luxury model. Production of the Century began in 1967, and the model received ...

, introduced in 1967, derived its name from the 100th birthday of Sakichi Toyoda. On April 15, 1973, the Japan Patent Office selected him as one of Ten Japanese Great Inventors.

Early life and education

Sakichi Toyoda was born on February 14, 1867, in Yamaguchi,

Tōtōmi Province was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today western Shizuoka Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Tōtōmi''" in . Tōtōmi bordered on Mikawa, Suruga and Shinano Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . The or ...

(present-day

Kosai, Shizuoka is a city located in far western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 57,885 in 24,232 households, and a population density of 668.7 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Kosai is located ...

), to Ikichi and Ei Toyoda. Ikichi was a carpenter and a farmer, and he taught carpentry to his son. Sakichi's boyhood would coincide with the end of the shogunate era, replaced by the Meiji and its reformist policies. Sakichi was an avid reader in his youth, and he organized a youth study group for teens. Inspired by a trip to

Ueno is a district in Tokyo's Taitō Ward, best known as the home of Ueno Park. Ueno is also home to some of Tokyo's finest cultural sites, including the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, and the National Museum of Na ...

to visit the Third National Machinery Exposition, he later revolutionized the textile industry, powered by steam, oil, and electricity.

Family tree

References

External links

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Biography of Sakichi Toyoda
{{DEFAULTSORT:Toyoda, Sakichi 1867 births 1930 deaths Japanese Buddhists Japanese founders of automobile manufacturers Japanese inventors People from Shizuoka Prefecture People of Meiji-period Japan Sakichi Toyota people