In August 1927 the son of a wagon-maker set up a Musical Instrument Research Laboratory in Hamamatsu, Japan. Eighty years later, his grandson is president of the same company (now employing over 2,800 people) which is the second largest musical manufacturer in the world with its reputation firmly based around the core product of acoustic pianos.
Koichi Kawai demonstrated a unique talent for engineering and design at the age of 12 by designing and building his own pedal car, one of the first in Japan. Spotted by a neighbour, who was attempting to set up a piano manufacturing business, Koichi showed extraordinary promise as a piano engineer and designer, and played a key role in introducing pianos into his country.
The aim for the young company in 1927 was to build the world's finest piano, a goal that Kawai has arguably achieved, but the company continues to push the frontiers of piano design forward in the 21 century.
