Corporate Giants: Yamaha and the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra

Abstract

In Denshigakki Sangyoron, the first book-length scholarly study to address the history of Japan’s musical instrument industry, Kenji Tanaka concludes with the assertion that Japan must strive to “escape from the labyrinth of culture industrialization.”1 What does this statement mean, and what implications may it have for the field of music education? Most previous research on the topic of musical practices in Japan has neglected to discuss the role of the music industry. This situation is ironic, because when viewed in terms of economics, Japan has become a world center for the production and consumption of “Western” music in recent decades. Japanese companies have led most sectors of the global music industry, from production of musical instruments (Yamaha, Kawai, Roland, Casio, Korg), to the production, distribution and consumption of recordings (Toshiba/EMI, Sony, Columbia, JVC, Panasonic, Yamaha), and even the world’s largest systems for community music education (Yamaha, Kawai, Suzuki, Roland). Among all of the companies associated with this enormous industry in Japan, Yamaha stands out as especially influential, and it is useful now to consider the extent of its influence within the sphere of Japanese wind bands, as well as that of other corporations and even professional wind ensembles.