01.03.2012 / 140

Interesting information about the Yamaha brand. Reference information about the Yamaha brand.

Yamaha is one of the oldest corporations in the world, founded in 1897 by entrepreneur Torakusu Yamaha. The history of Torakusu Yamaha's work with musical instruments began in 1887, when a man asked him, a medical instrument repairman living at that time in the city of Hamamatsu (Shizuoka Prefecture), to repair a reed organ (harmonium). Working with this instrument captivated him so much that after completing the repairs, he decided to create his own sample of a harmonium. Based on the knowledge of the structure of this musical instrument gained during the repair process, he began to handcraft every part. Two months later, he on our own delivered the finished organ for inspection to the Institute of Music Research in Tokyo (currently the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music). The institute's specialists recognized that the instrument has the correct body shape, but identified a number of shortcomings, including instability of tuning. Not giving in to disappointment, Torakusu Yamaha decided to stay in Tokyo and achieve his goal by studying music theory and tuning techniques, becoming a special student at the Institute of Music Research. After a month of intensive study, Torakusu Yamaha returned to Hamamatsu, where he began to work from early morning until late evening, making his second reed organ. After re-check his instrument was recognized as “worthy of replacing imported analogues.”

Thorakusu Yamaha founded in 1889 Yamaha Organ Works, and eight years later, in 1897, he created the Nippon Gakki company, whose symbol was tuning forks and its trademark was a figure Chinese phoenix with a tuning fork in its beak.

The modern Yamaha logo represents the name of the founder of Yamaha written in Latin in combination with tuning forks. The three tuning forks symbolize the strong connection between technology, production and sales - the three fundamental elements of Yamaha Corporation. Now Yamaha Motor and Yamaha, the difference between the logos is the location of the tuning forks, which intersect the circle (Yamaha Motor) and are enclosed in a circle (Yamaha).

Over the period of its more than century-long existence, Yamaha has come a long way in development and has become one of the flagships of the world's manufacturers of musical equipment.

In 1897, Nippon Gakki received its first order to export 78 organs to Southeast Asia, and produced its first batch of pianos in 1900. In 1902, production of the first Yamaha grand pianos began, and in 1904, an organ and piano produced by Yamaha received the Grand Prix at the World Exhibition in the American city of St. Louis.

In 1903, using its experience in woodworking, the company began manufacturing furniture.

In 1914, Yamaha began producing the first harmonicas and began selling them for export later that year.

In 1921, the Japanese government decided to use Yamaha's vast experience in woodworking to create aircraft propellers. After 10 years, the company repurposed its production to produce metal propellers. Subsequently, metalworking technologies were in demand for casting frames for grand pianos and pianos, and later, in the production of wind instruments. In 1922, Yamaha began producing high-quality phonographs, in 1930 the first acoustics analysis laboratory was founded, in 1932 it mastered the production of wind organs, and since 1941 it has produced acoustic guitars.

In 1954, the Yamaha Music School music education system was created. In the same year, production of the first Hi-Fi audio systems began. Thanks to the accumulated experience in the field of metallurgical technologies, the production of the first Yamaha YA-1 motorcycle was launched. During the year, 125 motorcycles were produced. Due to successful sales, in 1955 it was decided to found Yamaha Motor Company.
Genichi Kawakami, president of Yamaha from 1950-1977 and 1980-1983.

In 1956, the company first took part in the exhibition of musical instruments in Chicago, in 1958 the first branch was opened abroad - in Mexico, and in 1960 a branch was opened in the USA.

An archery products business was founded in 1959 and closed in 2002. In 1959, the Yamaha Technical Laboratory opened, in which the company developed analog modeling technologies and soon created the D-1 Electone electric organ. Thanks to research in the field of metals, the company was able to create a line of fiberglass equipment. Since 1961, Yamaha has invested its capital in the production and sale of alloys. In 1961, the company opened the production of skis made of fiber-reinforced polymer and began selling them. In 1962, the Yamaha Recreation division opened, which created resort complexes for musical and sports leisure: Nemu-no-Sato in 1967, Tsumagoi in 1974, Katsuragi in 1976, Haimurbushi in 1979 and Toba in 1964.

In 1965, the company began producing pipes at the Kakegawa and Iwata factories, and in 1970 it merged with the wind instrument manufacturer Nippon Wind Instruments (currently Saitama Factory). In 1977 and 1978, wind instrument workshops were opened in Tokyo and Hamburg, respectively. Also in 1965, the first Yamaha music school was opened abroad - in Los Angeles.

In 1966, the company's activities in Europe expanded, Yamaha Europa opened in Germany. In collaboration with the Japanese Ministry of Education, the Yamaha Foundation is being created to improve the skills of music teachers and promote music education. Yamaha music schools are opening in Mexico, Canada and Thailand.

The first line for the production of electric guitars and drums opens. Yamaha patents Air-seal System drum technology. In 1967, the company debuted the CF series concert grand piano.

In 1968, the corporation (at that time Nippon Gakki Co., Ltd) began issuing shares.

In 1971, the company launched semiconductor production.

In 1973, the production of tennis rackets was mastered, and full-scale production and sale of furniture began. From 1974 to 2007, the production of musical instruments operated in the USA. Also in 1974, production began of the NS 1000M loudspeakers (NS series produced since 1967) with a beryllium diaphragm, as well as the first synthesizer CSY-1 and the first analog mixer PM-1000. In 1976, the production of electric pianos began.

In 1980, Yamaha established the Piano Technical Academy training center. The production of PortaSound portable keyboard instruments has begun.

In 1982, the company developed a line of carbon composite materials for golf. In the same year, the company introduced the first CD-1 player and the first Disklavier piano went on sale.

In 1983, the Klavinova electronic piano appeared on the markets. Yamaha's LSI (Large Scale Integration) division begins production of large scale integrated circuits. This division is engaged in the production of circuits for FM synthesis, graphics controllers, since 1999 - electronic chips for tone generators for mobile phones, since 2002 - chips for digital amplifiers, and since 2005 - chips for GPS navigation. Unlike many European and Japanese companies forced to sell their semiconductor divisions to Chinese owners, Yamaha continued to produce microcircuits in the 2000s, including LSI (Large-Scale Integration) at its own facilities, which does not bring in too much income ( about 5%), but allows you to focus on your own element base when developing AV components.

In 1983, the Yamaha DX7 digital synthesizer was released, which was very popular in the 80s and became one of the best-selling models in the history of synthesizers.

In 1983, the company mastered the production of personal computers, releasing a series of MSX (Yamaha KUVT) machines. Somewhat later, the Yamaha CX5 computer was released, which had a built-in SFG-01 synthesizer module (with the ability to connect SFG-05) and was designed specifically for creating music; it was used by some domestic musicians working in the genre of electronic music from the mid to late 1980s.

In 1984, the corporation developed its own technology for producing the first industrial robots. In 1986, the company began selling the first digital sound field processors DSP-1, and in 1986 the SRS (Sound Room System) direction was launched.

In 1987, on the centenary of its founding, the company's name was officially changed - the company was renamed Yamaha Corporation.
Yamaha Artist Services Center at 5th Avenue and 54th Street in New York City

In 1987, centers for working with artists, Yamaha Artist Services, Inc., were opened in several capitals of the world, and later centers were opened in Moscow, London, New York, Paris, Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo, Kakegawa, and Taipei. In the same year, schools were established in Japan to teach English language, valid as of the 2010s.

In 1988, the company acquired Sequential Circuits, and from 1989 to 1993 it owned a controlling stake (51%) of Korg, a competitor in the musical instruments and music production equipment market.

1989 The New York Museum of Modern Art purchases the Wind MIDI Controller WX7 for its collection. In the same year, the corporation introduced the world's first CD-ROM drive. In 1990, the production of musical instruments was launched in China. In 1991, the Museum of Modern Art expanded its collection with the Active Servo Processing Speaker YST-SD 90 subwoofer. In 1992, AV equipment production was launched in Malaysia and Indonesia.

In 1993, Yamaha created the world's first titanium golf clubs.

In 1993, the debut of the Silent series pianos took place, and in 1994, Yamaha introduced grand pianos of this series to the market. In 1995, production of Silent series drum sets began. In 1996, the company released DTX Silent Session drums, next year- introduces the Silent series violin to the market, and in 1998 and 2002 the production of cellos and violas of the Silent series begins, respectively.

In 1994, the production of digital mixers was mastered, the first model was the Pro-mix 01 mixer, and in 2001 the PM1D console was released. In 1998, Yamaha combined patented technologies to create a digital sound field processor and home theater system.

In 1999, the production of a multimedia speaker system for computers was launched; in 2000, the company founded the recording company Yamaha Music Communications. In 2003, the company introduced Vocaloid singing synthesis technology to the market - software that simulates a human singing voice based on a given melody and text.

Since 2004, Yamaha begins to collaborate with Klipsch. in the same year, production of the new YSP-1 Digital Sound Projector speaker system was launched. In 2004, Yamaha bought from Pinnacle Systems, German manufacturer software for music creation - the company Steinberg (Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH) known primarily for the Cubase program).

In 2007, Yamaha was awarded the Technical Grammy. On December 20, 2007, Bösendorfer was acquired, and in 2008 the corporation bought Nexo.

In 2008, production of the tenori-on synthesizer began. In 2010, Yamaha demonstrated the TLF-speaker, a flexible poster-shaped loudspeaker that emits a highly directional sound wave.

In 2014, the corporation announced the acquisition of Line6, a manufacturer of equipment for digital guitar processing and amplifiers.

history of the company Yamaha began in the 1880s with... pianos and organs. The founder of the company, Torakusu Yamaha, designed and produced his first organ in 1887. Every year the skill of the enterprising Japanese grew, the circle of clients expanded, and at one point Mr. Yamaha realized that he could not satisfy the needs of everyone who wanted to purchase musical instruments from him. Then he had the idea to create his own production, and in 1897, in the Japanese province of Kyushu, a company called NipponGakkiCo., Ltd. was born, in which Mr. Yamaha took the post of president. What does this have to do with motorcycles, you might ask? Follow me, I'll tell you how ordinary pianos turned into amazing motorcycles!

Have you ever wondered what the Yamaha logo means? Remember what she looks like. A circle, a blue background, and on it a mysterious interweaving of three identical, clear geometric shapes of objects that look like two-pronged forks. These items are nothing more than tuning forks, devices for tuning the sound of musical instruments. An intelligent reader, I think, will easily guess that this emblem was inherited by a company engaged in the production of motorcycle equipment from a company engaged in the production of musical instruments. How could this happen?

The fact is that Mr. Yamaha’s company, without much success in the commercial field, existed from 1897 right up to the Second World War. However, the war and the post-war, greatly changed world made their own adjustments to the measured life of the company involved in music. Even during the war years, Yamaha was forced to postpone the production of pianos and take up the manufacture of propellers for aircraft. In a strange irony of fate, propellers for military equipment were made from the same wood as the bodies for the most expensive pianos and grand pianos. Well, after the end of the war, the Japanese people had no time for musical instruments. Therefore, the owner of the plant, Kanaus Kenichi, decided to reorient the plant’s production capacity to produce goods more needed by the population. Motorcycles turned out to be such a product.

In 1954, the company split into two parts: a motorcycle manufacturer and a musical instrument manufacturer. It was then that the motorcycle division received the name now known throughout the world - YamahaMotorCo., Ltd. The first-born of this company was the Yamaha YA1 motorcycle with a 125 cc engine. see. The car was simply copied from the German DKW RT125 motorcycle. Perhaps, in order to attract attention to their newly created brand, Japanese marketers decided to release the YA1 in red. It was a bold move because the world of motorcycles was dominated exclusively by black. The YA-1 surprised the world with its simple shape and chestnut-red color, earning it the nickname “Aka-tombo” (Red Dragonfly). The dragonfly immediately demonstrated its excellent characteristics, winning his first race at the foot of Mount Fuji in July 1955. Then, inspired by their success, the riders started the second competition on the Asama volcano and again emerged victorious. After such serious success, Yamaha motorcycles became widely known in Japan. And the following year, 1955, riders on Yamaha YA1 motorcycles won more than one victory, securing a very solid milestone for Yamaha.

The company's affairs were slowly but surely going uphill. However, the founders understood that they could not maintain their position for a long time on the “Red Dragonfly” alone. Already in 1956, Yamaha opened its own research institute and design bureau. Engineers create a two-cylinder motorcycle with a volume of 250 cc. see And next year another race is won on it. The motorcycles came in a series called YD1-250S, later renamed YDS1. They were equipped with a 20 horsepower engine and a steel frame. The model featured a 5-speed gearbox and tachometer, which captured the imagination of racers who immediately nicknamed it “The First Japanese Sports Model.”

Well, then, inspired by success, the company decides to deal with everything at once - mopeds, heavy motorcycles, sports equipment... Already by 1961, the wrong policy led to a crisis. The new model of the Yamaha TD 1 class 350 cc racing motorcycle helps you get out of it. see. She wins a long-awaited victory over her main competitor - Honda CR 72. Yamaha's dominance reigns over all of Japan.

By the end of the 70s, Yamaha switched to the production of road and touring motorcycles. Bikes, in American fashion, equipped with high handlebars, elongated forks and a teardrop-shaped tank, are making a splash in Japan. Until the 1980s, these motorcycles enjoyed well-deserved popularity and are considered classic motorcycles of that time.

The beginning of the 80s passed under the banner of the dominance of sportbikes. Yamaha produces several motorcycles for racing, as well as several simplified copies of racing equipment for the civilian population. Simultaneously with the release and development of such equipment, YamahaMotorCo., Ltd is strengthening its position in foreign market, successfully exporting their motorcycles to both the European and American markets.

In the eighties and nineties of the last century, Yamaha produced many legendary models, which still, after 30-35 years, are not losing their positions in the secondary Russian and European motorcycle markets. Among these models are the Yamaha XJ series touring motorcycle with engine capacities of 653, 398, 528 and 748 cm3, and the legendary Virago chopper with engines with a displacement of 535 to 1063 cm3.

Motorcycles have become no less a legend YZF series, opened at the beginning of the two thousandth. The YZF-R1 sportbike, introduced by Yamaha in 1997, became the standard in its class: the key to success was its compact chassis (the motorcycle weighs only 177 kg) and a powerful four-cylinder engine (998 cm3, 150 hp). The motorcycle was wildly popular; on this wave, the company designed and released its younger brother, the YZF-R6, with an engine capacity of 600 cc. Both models are successfully produced to this day. Of course, modern Erks have little in common with their predecessors; for example, the R-1 model was restyled 5 times.

Now YamahaMotorCo., Ltd annually produces up to 4 million motorcycles per year and ranks second in the world in the production of motorcycle equipment. The extensive model range includes sportbikes, motorcycles for beginners, touring enduros, classic megacruisers and many, many other models. The corporation has 60 factories built in 45 countries – and that’s just for the production of motorcycles!

By the way, Yamaha has not forgotten its original purpose either. Today, Yamaha has grown into the world's largest manufacturer of all types of musical instruments and has become a leading manufacturer of audio/video products. So the traditional joke about Yamaha, “The evolution of the company: from bad pianos to good motorcycles,” can be easily remade in a different way: “The evolution of the company: from bad pianos to good motorcycles, wonderful musical instruments, state-of-the-art audio systems, high-tech robots and even unique developments.” in metallurgy and nanotechnology." Bravo, Yamaha!

Creator of the world famous Yamaha there was a gentleman Yamaha Thorakusu. In 1887, as a medical equipment repairman in the city of Hamamatsu, he was asked to repair a phisgamonia (organ). Thorakusu was so passionate about working with this musical instrument that he decided to make every detail by hand and assemble his own harmonium.

After 2 months, he delivered the organ to Tokyo for testing at a music institute. The institute admitted that the body was chalked in the correct shape, but found several shortcomings in the instability of the tuning of the reed organ. Torakusu decided not to deviate from his intended goal and became a lecturer at the Institute of Musical Research.

A month after studying, the future founder of the company Yamaha Organ Works, returned to his hometown, where he decided to assemble a second harmonium, which subsequently successfully passed the test at the Institute and was a worthy replacement for imported analogues.

In 1897, Torakusu founded the company Nippon Gakki, which in the same year received a large order from Southeast Asia to assemble 80 organs. During the first half of the 20th century, the company successfully mastered the production technology of various musical instruments.

In 1954, the first experimental motorcycle was released. Aka-Tombo ", which received big success sales After the small-capacity motorcycle received great success, it was decided to create a new division that would develop Vehicle. The Yamaha Motor division, created in 1955, was headed by Genichi Kawakami.
Later, the company's developers began the process of creating the first outboard motor for boats. And already by 1960 Japanese market The first production motor for boats called R-7 was released. A year later, the company released its first scooter model, which turned out to be of poor quality and did not make a splash among consumers. After which new models of scooters were released that were of higher quality and more reliable.

• In honor of the company's centenary Nippon Gakki Co.., it was renamed Yamaha, in honor of the company's founder.
• During the Second World War, the plant carried out military orders, underwent restructuring and was confiscated from the owner in the post-war years. True, by 1952, Yamaha finally regained the factory and continued producing tools.
• Yamaha logo represents three purple tuning forks enclosed in a circle. For differentiation, the Yamaha Motor logo is designed in a symmetrical font in red.
• Yamaha created the world's first titanium hockey sticks.
• In Japan, music education is compulsory for children. First Yamaha music schools were opened in 1954. After 10 years, similar schools opened in the United States.
• A piano model from the Silent series was released in 1973, which allowed you to listen to the performance on headphones, turning off the sound.
• The first snow blower, the YT 665, was released in 1978 and is still in production.
• 1983 was marked by the release of the first personal computers Yamaha KUVT.
• The most famous motorcycle model, the YZF-R1, was released in 1998 and was recognized as the best model of the decade.

The site's observer studied the history of Yamaha, which was created as a manufacturer of musical instruments, but later expanded its activities to other industries, including the production of motorcycles, snowmobiles, jet skis, boats, and sports equipment. Now Yamaha is considered a single company, but is divided into two independent areas - Yamaha Corporation and Yamaha Motor.

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Yamaha is one of the oldest companies in the world. Over its almost 130-year history, it has grown from a small manufacturer of musical instruments to a world-famous company operating in several industries. The ability to work in a highly competitive environment, introduce innovations and enter markets helped the Japanese giant achieve success. different countries peace.

Biography of Thorakusu Yamaha. Company creation

The founder of Yamaha was Torakusu Yamaha, who was born in 1851. His father appears to have been of samurai descent, but served the Kishu-Tokugawa house as an astronomer. The position, which was not very honorable for a samurai, played a role in the formation of Torakusu. Since childhood, he was surrounded by books and equipment for astronomical observations, and therefore became interested in technology.

His other hobby was martial arts - he became a master of kendo. At the age of 16, he left his hometown to continue honing his skills, and later taught fencing lessons to employees of his company.

Young Thorakusa Yamaha is described as a man with a wide range of interests, capable of studying hard to comprehend all aspects of a topic that interests him. Yamaha's main passion was technology. He began with watchmaking, which he began studying under the guidance of an English engineer at the age of 20 in the city of Nagasaki.

Thorakusu Yamaha

Having achieved a certain mastery in this, he switched to studying the repair of medical equipment. This is exactly what he began doing at the age of 32 in the small Japanese town of Hamamatsu, becoming famous as a master of his craft. However, there were few orders in Hamamatsu, and therefore Torakusu was forced to repair watches and look for other opportunities for additional income.

One day the director of a local school approached Yamaha - he had serious problem due to a broken reed organ, or harmonium. This instrument was brought from the USA by one of the local natives and donated to the school when a singing class was created here. Organs were rare in Japan, so the whole province knew about him. Sources are silent about what exactly happened to the organ, noting that it simply stopped making sounds. The school principal's decision to turn to Yamaha was an act of desperation - no one had any idea how to repair the harmonium. Torakusu was not an expert in this either, but, having taken up the job, he managed to cope with it successfully.

During the process, Yamaha was so delighted with the instrument that he decided to create his own. He understood the design, as he managed to see every detail. Local jeweler Kisaburo Kawai helped Yamaha create the organ. It took them two months to build a working model. They demonstrated their development at a local school and pedagogical institute, where they received mostly negative reviews.

However, Yamaha and Kisaburo were skeptical about this assessment and decided to present the development at the Tokyo Music Institute. Transport was difficult at that time, and the organ had to be carried by hand for at least part of the journey. The reviews were again negative - although the director of the institute praised the design itself, he also noted that the instrument needed fine tuning and advised him to study music theory. Yamaha spent a month in Tokyo for this purpose, after which he returned to Hamamatsu and set about creating a new organ. He worked, as before, together with Kisaburo. Their working day began at five in the morning and lasted until late at night.

The effort was worth it, and the new version turned out to be a success. Yamaha was not satisfied with one successful development and launched its own business producing organs. The company was opened in 1888, the workshop was located in the kitchen of an abandoned temple, above which Yamaha hung the sign Yamaha Fukin Seizojo (“Yamaha Organ Factory”). It was the first enterprise in Japan to produce musical instruments imported from Europe. The government assessed Yamaha's initiative very favorably and supported it. In 1889, the entrepreneur's modest company had grown to hundreds of workers and produced 250 organs per year.

In 1890, the company began producing inexpensive pianos, realizing they were becoming much more popular in the United States. In 1897, Yamaha entered the Southeast Asian market, operating quite successfully there. That same year, the company changed its name to Nippon Gakki, meaning "Japanese musical instruments", and moved to new premises in Hamamatsu.

Of particular interest, from the point of view of the company's development, is the year 1899. At this time, Yamaha first went to the USA, where he visited piano factories, learned a lot and later used it in his own company.

That same year, one of Yamaha's investors decided to withdraw money from the company, switching to another manufacturer of musical instruments, and, even worse, persuaded others who had invested in the Thorakusa business. Yamaha's story could have ended there if its founder had not borrowed money to remain solvent and buy back shares from investors who betrayed him.

Before the outbreak of the First World War, the company developed without unnecessary problems and any special changes. It is usually noted that in 1900 Nippon Gakki began producing pianos, and in 1902 also grand pianos. In addition, the company began to receive awards at international exhibitions, becoming the first Japanese company in its field to receive such an honor abroad. Among the awards, it is worth highlighting the Grand Prix at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis in 1904.

Nippon Gakki during the World Wars

The First World War had a positive impact on the development of the company. German harmonicas stopped entering the Japanese market, which opened up a new niche for Nippon Gakki. The company even began to work in this direction for export. Its harmonicas were sold under the Yamaha brand.

Nippon Gakki did not limit itself to this area alone during this period and, taking advantage of the situation, strengthened the integration of its entire product line into other markets and increased its presence in Japanese. However, during this period the company suffered losses. In 1916, Torakusu Yamaha died unexpectedly, and two months later his partner Kisaburo Kawai.

Having lost both founders, the company was not left without leadership - the post of head was soon taken over by Vice President Chiyomanu Amaro. He had extensive connections in the government, which significantly strengthened the company's position in Japan. During the First World War, the Japanese economy experienced rapid growth, which had a positive impact on Nippon Gakki, which successfully operated in Asian markets. In 1920, the company employed a thousand people.

The end of the war had a negative impact on Nippon Gakki. The rise in the yen had a negative impact on the company's pricing, which resulted in a drop in sales abroad. In 1922, Nippon Gakki's factories in Hamamatsu and Nakazawa were severely damaged by fire.

A year later, when the company seemed to have restored its production capacity, a new misfortune awaited it in the form of the Tokyo earthquake. The company's factories were again heavily damaged, and the Tokyo office was destroyed. This was followed by a major strike of workers, with whom Amano did not reconcile for more than 100 days, giving up only after the stock of products in the warehouses was almost completely exhausted.

In general, the early 20s clearly did not go well for Nippon Gakki, and the situation looked sad. Many sources call it a miracle that the company did not go bankrupt during this period. There is little information about Amano's abilities as a leader, but in such conditions he managed to keep the company afloat. By the way, in the 20s, Nippon Gakki found another niche - the Japanese government began ordering aircraft propellers from it.

In 1927, Amano left his post and was replaced by Kaichi Kawakami. He had leadership experience and became the head of Nippon Gakki at the request of the board of directors. Kawakami inherited a company in poor condition and with a significant amount of debt. New chapter did not lose his head, acted quickly and efficiently, carrying out restructuring and reducing costs. The measures he took allowed him to pay off half of his debts in just 18 months.

Kawakami understood well the reasons why the company began to lose its position. In addition to unforeseen circumstances such as fires and strikes, there was also competition with imported tools. Before the yen rose, Nippon Gakki benefited due to more low prices. Now the situation has become much more complicated, and the company had to set the level of quality itself and beat its competitors.

To achieve this goal, Kawakami opened an acoustics research laboratory in 1930. This endeavor would later pay off handsomely and allow Nippon Gakki to become a strong competitor for Western companies. Kawakami in no way underestimated their achievements, and therefore invited specialists from other countries - in particular, from German company C. Bechstein - as consultants. In 1931, it was Nippon Gakki who created the acoustic system for Japanese Diet concert halls.

In the 1930s, market conditions in Japan became much more favorable. It's all about the growth of the country's educational system, which led to an increase in orders for musical instruments. Kawakami took advantage of the situation by introducing cheaper guitars and accordions to the market than competitors, and made money from it.

During the war, Nippon Gakki, like other Japanese companies, switched to production for military needs. It was not equipped to produce equipment, and therefore concentrated on metal propellers, gas tanks, wings and other components. However, she did not completely abandon her field and in 1942 managed to launch the first acoustic guitar on the market.

The war for the company, thanks to government orders, was a profitable period, but had Negative consequences. After the bombing, only one factory at Nippon Gakki survived, and its general state Along with the ruin of the Japanese economy, for a certain time the company did not allow the company to operate at its usual level.

Nippon Gakki in the 50s and 60s. Creation of Yamaha Motor

The financial assistance Japan received from the United States greatly helped the company. The country gradually recovered, and Nippon Gakki began producing xylophones and harmonicas. Six months later, its range expanded to the usual organs, guitars, accordions and trumpets. Piano production was restarted in 1947. In the same year, the company began to actively work on the international market. In 1948, sales growth was again ensured by the Japanese Ministry of Education, which launched a music education program.

Kaicho Kawakami remained at the head of the company until 1950, after which he handed over the post to his son, Genichi. It is he who will begin to expand the company's presence in other industries, gradually turning it into a diversified conglomerate. In many ways, the restoration of the Japanese economy helped him in this; however, Genichi Kawakami is usually spoken of as a talented leader and put on a par with Honda, Matsushita and Morita. Before taking up his position, he worked his way up in the company, managing production.

Genichi Kawakami

In 1954, through Kawakami’s efforts, the company’s motor-building division was launched. Judging by the entrepreneur’s recollections, after taking the post of head of Yamaha, he thought about expanding it into other industries. In the end, Kawakami turned his attention to the production of motorcycles, and Yamaha specialists were able to convince the head of the company of the positive aspects of entering this market.

Before starting to produce motorcycles, Kawakami, along with his engineers, visited German factories working in this industry and got to know the production from the inside. Development apparently took the company several years.

In 1954, the company's first motorcycle appeared, called Ya-1 and the characteristic nickname “Red Dragonfly”. One of the models of the German manufacturer DKW was taken as the basis. Ya-1 had a 125 cc engine. The model is considered successful, but was not widely distributed due to its high cost - 138 thousand yen.

However, the launch was considered successful and already in 1955 this direction was separated into a subsidiary of Yamaha Motor. Yamaha promoted the Ya-1 through racing. Unlike other motorcycle manufacturers, it managed to perform successfully in its first races in Japan. First there was third place in the Fuji Ascent Race, and then a victory in the Asama Highlands Race. At the same time, the Ya-1 could not be called a racing motorcycle.

Yamaha Ya-1

The launch of Yamaha Motor seemed quite successful. At first, the company's plant produced only 200 motorcycles per month, and in the domestic market it faced strong competition from Honda, but overall Yamaha's prospects looked positive.

The desire to defeat Honda forced the company's management to take risks. The next motorcycle model, known as the YD-1, was the first made by Yamaha engineers on their own. Management’s faith in the abilities of their own employees grew greatly after a successful start, and therefore the idea seemed right. Yamaha's confidence was influenced by its merger with the Hamamatsu Research Institute in 1956. Optimistic forecasts turned into major troubles. The YD-1 had technical flaws, which led to disappointment among Yamaha customers and, as a result, a drop in market share from 13% to 3%.

Everything had to start from scratch, and in order to preserve the company's reputation, its management took the controversial step of recalling the sold motorcycles and fixing the problems. Design errors were corrected, and Yamaha demonstrated its loyalty to customers. The improved version of the YD-1 was named YDS-1 - in the future it will provide Yamaha with worldwide recognition.

While Yamaha designers were correcting their mistakes, management was making new ones. It wanted to regain lost ground by expanding its own product line with two models at once - the SC-1 scooter and the MF-1 moped. If the designers had more experience, the idea could indeed have brought solid dividends, but at that time the company was still going through the process of formation and was unable to implement everything at the proper level. The SC-1 and MF-1 were unsuccessful and were received negatively by the market.

According to some sources, this almost ended the history of Yamaha Motor, but the company was saved by Nippon Gakki’s stable position in the musical instrument market and the same YDS-1, which successfully competed in races and attracted the attention of the world community.

Yamaha YDS-1

In 1958, the Yamaha Racing team managed to perform relatively successfully, taking sixth place at the Catalina Grand Prix. This achievement looks much more significant considering that during the race the motorcycle flew off the track. The repairs were delayed, which led to the loss of eight positions, but the driver was able to slightly restore the position.

The company did not stop at this performance and continued to perform internationally. In 1961, Yamaha took part in the so-called Grand Prix. That same year she managed to take sixth place at the Isle of Man TT. The latter were a kind of exhibition competition, where the largest motorcycle manufacturers brought the best models. Getting into the top six here was a huge achievement. Over the course of the entire season, Ito's team driver earned points in all the races in which he managed to finish.

Success inevitably led to increased sales, which benefited Yamaha. In 1964, the team already had four drivers, and Phil Reed won the first Yamaha history championship and the Constructors' Championship. Moreover, it was possible to defeat Honda for the first time, which, given the rivalry between the companies, made the victory even more important.

In 1960, sales officially started in the United States, although the first Yamaha motorcycle was sold in this country back in 1958. The thing is that at first the company worked through intermediaries, and in 1960 it decided to act independently.

During the 60s, the company launched several striking models on the market that strengthened its position. In 1961, the company's TD1 racing motorcycle was introduced, based on the YDS-1. This model showed excellent results even at the prototype stage. During the races, her advantage was confirmed and ensured successful performances in racing competitions, first in Japan and later around the world.

However, Nippon Gakki at that time owned only 39% of its subsidiary and suffered more reputational than financial losses. Here it is worth talking in more detail about the relationship between Nippon Gakki (now better known as Yamaha Corporation) and Yamaha Motor.

Despite the fact that the automobile manufacturing division is officially a subsidiary, they are now weakly interconnected. The parent company owns 12.21% of Yamaha Motor, which still makes it largest shareholder companies.

The list of other shareholders is of particular interest due to the fact that the same institutions appear here. These include Mitsui, Trust Custody Service Bank, Japan Trustee Service Bank and State Street Bank and Trust Company. Yamaha Corporation has lower financial performance than its subsidiary and they are not too dependent on each other for management, but given the common shareholders, it can be assumed that the relationship between the companies is much stronger than it seems.

Some sources claim that the companies began to act more independently of each other back in 1955, when Yamaha Motor was separated from Nippon Gakki. However, given that Genichi Kawakami served as president of both companies until 1974, it is impossible to say with certainty.

In the early 80s, the market situation continued to worsen when the American Harley-Davidson, tired of competition with foreign companies, achieved an increase in tariffs on imports of Japanese motorcycles into the United States. This negatively affected Yamaha's position in this market, because the company did not have its own plant here.

The situation began to improve with the arrival of a new president, Hideto Eguchi, in 1983. He had his own views on the development of the company and hastened to bring them to life. The main focus of his activities in 1983 was the reorganization of Yamaha Motor, the program was called “New Yamaha”. Its goal was to support the implementation of initiatives of ordinary company employees. There is little information about the implementation of this program and the main changes in the work of Yamaha Motor during this period. Based on the official history of the company, within two years, thanks to Eguchi’s efforts, Yamaha Motor’s income began to grow.

Changes in management had a positive effect on the release of new motorcycles, of which there were quite a lot during this period. Among the well-known models, it is worth highlighting the XV750 Special, which was created specifically for the US market and ultimately became the basis for the Virago series.

In 1984, the legendary Yamaha V-Max was introduced. The release of this model was preceded by interesting story development. Model designer Akira Araki carefully studied American market and was into drag racing. One of this type of races took place on the Mississippi Bridge. The Suzuki Katana model showed itself excellently here. Yamaha already had plans in this direction up to this point, and Akira accelerated the process. It is popularly believed that one of the development goals was to get ahead of the Suzuki Katana. Araki went to the competition with two specialists from Yamaha. He also involved designer John Reed in the development.

Together, they created a sketch of the future motorcycle within a month. During the development process, the Yamaha designer managed to complete the task by creating the first Japanese hot rod with acceleration to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds and a power of 142 horsepower. The Yamaha V-Max already received rave reviews from the audience at the time of its presentation and was eventually awarded the “Motorcycle of the Year” award. The model has gone through many modifications and is considered one of Yamaha's classic designs.

Yamaha V-Max

In the 80s, Yamaha Motor changed its approaches to production, beginning to transfer it to markets in other countries, which the company had previously avoided. The thing is that the Japanese economy was in decline in the 80s, which, given the high yen exchange rate, made production in this country not a cheap process. Japanese manufacturers often captured foreign markets due to lower prices.

Trying to maintain this advantage, Eguchi began to expand production to other countries and achieved the expected effect - Yamaha Motor, despite the problems of Japan, felt quite confident by the end of the decade. It should be mentioned that Yamaha Motor opened its first production facility in Indonesia back in 1974.

In the 80s, another important event took place in the history of Yamaha Motor - the creation of IM, a special division dedicated to the production of industrial robots. It was at this time that management, having assessed the prospects of developing CAME, used on the motorcycle production line, decided that it could be sold to other companies.

Despite the involvement of engineers who had previously been involved in similar developments at Yamaha and recruited specialists into this division, the first launch of IM was not a success. The whole problem turned out to be competition in the domestic market, which ultimately led to the disbandment of the department in 1982. However, the specialists who worked at IM did not calm down, dreaming of continuing their work. They managed to convince Katsuhiko Tsuchiya, who headed the technical department, to work in this area.

In 1983, Tokyo hosted international exhibition robots, and it was decided that IM should take part in it. The team had only two months to prepare everything necessary for the company's stand. Despite the fact that the developments presented by IM could not be called revolutionary and they did not attract public attention, after the exhibition one interested manufacturer nevertheless contacted the company. It was he who provided the opportunity further development this division. Gradually, Yamaha began to steadily receive contracts for the production of industrial robots and achieved success, including on the world stage.

Nippon Gakki operated quite unstable during the 80s, although it still did not lose its position in the market. It was during this period that the DX-7 synthesizer was released. It is considered one of the most popular and widespread synthesizers in history. In total, about 160 thousand DX-7s were sold. By all accounts, the success of this model is due to the combination of compactness, low price, and excellent functionality.

Yamaha DX-7

The main reason Nippon Gakki's problems during the 1980s were led by Hiroshi Kawakami, who again became president of the company in 1983. He tried to match the successes of his father and grandfather, and therefore sought to implement risky projects without carefully weighing the positive and negative sides these undertakings. It is believed that father and son had different views on the development of the company, and family discord continued.

It was because of Hiroshi and his ambitions that the famous marketing miscalculation occurred in the form of 200 thousand unsold wind instruments in 1990. His controversial actions also include the opening of headquarters in the USA and Great Britain, which cost Nippon Gakki a large sum and essentially played no role other than demonstrating the power and financial capabilities of the Japanese giant. There were several more ambitious projects that did not bring success and complicated the company's situation.

Nippon Gakki's profit growth declined during the 1980s, and Kawakami Jr. was unable to take effective measures to address the problem. He also tried to improve the company's position through restructuring, but this time he was not successful. By the way, it was Hiroshi who, in the process of celebrating the company’s centenary, renamed Nippon Gakki to Yamaha Corporation.

Nippon Gakki during the 1990s and 2000s. New technologies and company acquisitions

Kawakami made several more attempts to improve the company's situation, but in the end he did not achieve his goal and left Yamaha Corporation. In 1992, Seisuke Uveshima became the new head of this company. He took up the matter energetically, starting by demoting Kawakami's associates and advisers, whom many blamed for his failures.

He then continued restructuring, significantly reducing the company's administrative apparatus. In addition, the company's presence in non-core areas, including the production of sports equipment, was reduced. It was then decided to release several new revolutionary developments to restore its position in the market.

Thus, already in 1993, a line of pianos with the ability to turn off the sound was launched - Silent Piano. They have two modes - regular acoustic and silent, in which the player hears the music only through headphones. The cost of the first model was $7.3 thousand. In the first year, about 17 thousand models were sold in Japan, and this figure was much higher than expected. Inspired by the success of the Silent Piano, Yamaha continued to expand this line to other instruments, thus creating Silent Drums, Silent Cello and Silent Violin.

The line of synthesizers also underwent changes, although no real hits like the DX-7 were created during this period. Yamaha's main focus has been inexpensive but high-quality synthesizers. This was done to attract new customers and increase sales. It is believed that of the total mass of synthesizers during the 90s, only VL1 and VP1 stand out. Thanks to Uweshima's efforts, Yamaha's financial position has stabilized.

In 1997, Uweshima left his post as head of the company and was replaced by Kazukiyo Ishimura. The change in management did not make Yamaha Corporation perform worse, demonstrating stable results and revenue of $4.58 billion. However, Ishimura did not remain at the head of the company for long - the whole point is that the company again found itself in a difficult situation due to the stagnation of the Japanese economy , poor results in the electronics parts business and company restructuring. Thus, the company's losses amounted to $384 million. As a result, Ishimura was dismissed, and Shuji Ito became the new head of the company, who will serve as president of the company until 2007.

Trying to quickly bring the company out of the crisis, Ito concentrated on the production of musical instruments, as well as the creation of electronic parts, digital content for phones and other portable devices. To implement this idea, the record company Yamaha Music Communication was even created. These actions, coupled with excellent products and the fact that the company was no longer restructuring, resulted in $107 million in net income in 2001.

During the 2000s, the company continued to offer innovative products to the market. For example, in 2004, the Vocaloid program was introduced, designed to simulate, based on a selected song, the singing voice of a specific person. The same year saw the introduction of the YSP-1 digital sound projector. The development was the first of its kind, using the technology of sound beams bouncing off walls and changing the home theater market.

It is impossible not to mention the MOTIF series of music workstations, which appeared in 2001. The first version was created in four versions. During the 2000s, the development received several modifications. MOTIF has gained extreme popularity not only because of its functionality, but also due to the fact that this synthesizer has been used by stars such as Justin Timbelake, Pink, Beyoncé and Elton John.

Yamaha MOTIF XS6

Speaking about the famous developments of Yamaha Corporation during this period, it is worth mentioning Tenori-On. This is a special musical instrument that was created through the collaboration of Yamaha and artist Toshio Iwai. At its core, it is a screen with 1616 LED switches, by activating which a special sound pattern is created. Sales of Tenori On started in London in 2007, and the cost of this instrument was $1200.

If desired, you can find many more in the Yamaha Corporation line interesting developments During this period, the company successfully operating in the market constantly strengthened its position with new models.

In addition, during the 2000s, Yamaha managed to buy several companies. In 2004, Steinberg Media Technologies was acquired. The latter specialized in the production of music software and some hardware. In 2008, Bösendorfer, which is one of the oldest piano manufacturers in the world and has supplied them to the Austrian imperial court. Her pianos are considered the best in the world to this day. Having acquired this company, Yamaha wisely did not interfere with management and impose its own views on production, leaving Bösendorfer to work independently.

In 2009, an alliance was announced with a leading player in the market speaker systems by Nexo. In addition, Yamaha acquired a little more than 10% of its shares.

Overall, the company continued to produce excellent products and maintained its position as one of the world leaders in musical instruments and acoustics. In 2007, Mitsuru Umemura became president of the company, replacing Ito in this post. The latter successfully led the company up to this point and did not leave Yamaha, retaining the post of chairman of the board of directors.

The next change in leadership occurred in 2013 - then Umemura was replaced as president by Takuya Nakata. As in the previous case, judging by official information, this was not done because poor condition companies. The board of directors determined the company's development plan until 2016 and decided to update the management. Apparently, Takuya is up to the task. In 2016, the company's net profit was $290 million.

Yamaha Motor in the 1990s. Expansion of the line and participation in sports competitions

The products of Yamaha Corporation, no matter how revolutionary they may be, are certainly lost against the background of the more famous Yamaha Motor. In the 90s, this company faced difficulties associated with the bursting of the Japanese economic bubble. Finding itself in a difficult situation, the company's management, led by the same Eguchi, tried to adapt to new conditions.

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). Working with this instrument captivated him so much that after completing the repairs, he decided to create his own sample of a harmonium. Based on the knowledge of the structure of this musical instrument gained during the repair process, he began to handcraft every part. Two months later, he delivered the finished organ himself for testing to the Institute of Music Research in Tokyo (currently the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music). The institute's specialists recognized that the instrument has the correct body shape, but identified a number of shortcomings, including instability of tuning. Not giving in to disappointment, Torakusu Yamaha decided to stay in Tokyo and achieve his goal by studying music theory and tuning techniques, becoming a special student at the Institute of Music Research. After a month of intensive study, Torakusu Yamaha returned to Hamamatsu, where he began to work from early morning until late evening, making his second reed organ. After re-inspection, his instrument was found “worthy of replacing imported analogues.”
In 1889, Torakusu Yamaha founded the Yamaha Organ Works company, and eight years later, in 1897, he created the company Nippon Gakki, whose symbol was tuning forks, and whose trademark was the figure of a Chinese phoenix with a tuning fork in its beak.

The modern Yamaha logo represents the name of the founder of Yamaha written in Latin in combination with tuning forks. The three tuning forks symbolize the strong connection between technology, production and sales - the three fundamental elements of Yamaha Corporation. Now Yamaha Motor and Yamaha logos differ in the location of the tuning forks, which intersect the circle for Yamaha Motor and are enclosed in a circle for Yamaha.

Over the period of its more than century-long existence, Yamaha has come a long way in development and has become one of the flagships of the world's musical equipment manufacturers.

In 1897, Nippon Gakki received its first order to export 78 organs to Southeast Asia, and produced its first batch of pianos in 1900. In 1902, production of the first Yamaha grand pianos began, and in 1904, an organ and piano produced by Yamaha received the Grand Prix at the World Exhibition in the American city of St. Louis.

In 1903, using its experience in woodworking, the company began manufacturing furniture.

In 1914, Yamaha began producing the first harmonicas and began selling them for export later that year.

In 1921, the Japanese government decided to use Yamaha's vast experience in woodworking to create aircraft propellers. After 10 years, the company repurposed its production to produce metal propellers. Subsequently, metalworking technologies were in demand for casting frames for grand pianos and pianos, and later in the production of wind instruments. In 1922, Yamaha began producing high-quality phonographs, in 1930 the first acoustics analysis laboratory was founded, in 1932 it mastered the production of wind organs, and since 1941 it has produced acoustic guitars.

In 1954, the Yamaha Music School music education system was created. In the same year, production of the first Hi-Fi audio systems began. Thanks to the accumulated experience in the field of metallurgical technologies, the production of the first Yamaha YA-1 motorcycle was launched. During the year, 125 motorcycles were produced. Due to successful sales, in 1955 it was decided to found the Yamaha Motor Company. In 1956, the company first took part in the exhibition of musical instruments in Chicago, in 1958 the first branch was opened abroad - in Mexico, and in 1960 a branch was opened in the USA.

An archery products business was founded in 1959 and closed in 2002. In 1959, the Yamaha Technical Laboratory opened, in which the company developed analog modeling technologies and soon created the D-1 Electone electric organ. Thanks to research in the field of metals, the company was able to create a line of fiberglass equipment. Since 1961, Yamaha has invested its capital in the production and sale of alloys. In 1961, the company opened the production of skis made of fiber-reinforced polymer and began selling them. In 1962, the Yamaha Recreation division opened, which created resort complexes for musical and sports leisure [ ]: Nemu-no-Sato in 1967, Tsumagoi in 1974, Katsuragi in 1976, Haimurbushi in 1979 and Toba in 1964.

In 1965, the company began producing pipes at the Kakegawa and Iwata factories, and in 1970 it merged with the wind instrument manufacturer Nippon Wind Instruments (currently Saitama Factory). In 1977 and 1978, respectively, wind instrument workshops were opened in Tokyo and Hamburg. Also in 1965, the first Yamaha music school was opened abroad - in Los Angeles.

In 1966, the company's activities in Europe expanded, Yamaha Europa opened in Germany. In collaboration with the Japanese Ministry of Education, the Yamaha Foundation is being created to improve the skills of music teachers and promote music education. Yamaha music schools are opening in Mexico, Canada and Thailand.

The first line for the production of electric guitars and drums opens. Yamaha patents Air-seal System drum technology. In 1967, the company debuted the CF series concert grand piano.
In 1968, the corporation (at that time Nippon Gakki Co., Ltd) began issuing shares.

In 1971, the company launched semiconductor production.

In 1973, the production of tennis rackets was mastered, and full-scale production and sale of furniture began. From 1974 to 2007, the production of musical instruments operated in the USA. Also in 1974, production began of the NS 1000M loudspeakers (NS series produced since 1967) with a beryllium diaphragm, as well as the first synthesizer CSY-1 and the first analog mixer PM-1000. In 1976, production of electric pianos began.

In 1980, Yamaha established the Piano Technical Academy training center. The production of PortaSound portable keyboard instruments has begun.

In 1982, the company developed a line of carbon composite materials for golf. In the same year, the company introduced the first CD player CD-1 and the first Disklavier piano went on sale.

In 1983, the Klavinova electronic piano appeared on the markets. Yamaha's LSI (Large Scale Integration) division begins production of large scale integrated circuits. This division is engaged in the production of circuits for FM synthesis, graphics controllers, since 1999 - electronic chips for tone generators for mobile phones, since 2002 - chips for digital amplifiers, and since 2005 - chips for GPS navigation. Unlike many European and Japanese companies forced to sell their semiconductor divisions to Chinese owners, Yamaha continued to produce microcircuits in the 2000s, including LSI (Large-Scale Integration) at its own facilities, which does not bring in too much income ( about 5%), but allows you to focus on your own element base when developing AV components.

In 1983, the Yamaha DX7 digital synthesizer was released, which was very popular in the 80s and became one of the best-selling models in the history of synthesizers.

In 1983, the company mastered the production of personal computers, releasing a series of MSX (Yamaha KUVT) machines. Somewhat later, the Yamaha CX5 computer was released, which had a built-in SFG-01 synthesizer module (with the ability to connect SFG-05) and was designed specifically for creating music; it was used by some domestic musicians working in the genre of electronic music from the mid to late 1980s.

In 1984, the corporation developed its own technology for producing the first industrial robots. In 1986, the company began selling the first digital sound field processors DSP-1, and in 1986 the SRS (Sound Room System) direction was launched. In 1987, on the centenary of its founding, the company's name was officially changed - the company was renamed Yamaha Corporation.

In 1987, centers for working with artists were opened in several capitals of the world, Yamaha Artist Services, Inc., later centers were opened in Moscow, London, New York, Paris, Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo, Kakegawa, Taipei. That same year, English language schools were established in Japan and remain active as of the 2010s.

In 1988, the company acquired Sequential Circuits, and from 1989-1993 owned a controlling stake (51%) of Korg, a competitor in the market of musical instruments and music production equipment.

In 2007, Yamaha was awarded the Technical Grammy. On December 20, 2007, the company Bösendorfer was acquired, and in 2008 the corporation bought Nexo.

In 2008, production of the tenori-on synthesizer began. In 2010, Yamaha demonstrated the TLF-speaker, a flexible poster-shaped loudspeaker that emits a highly directional sound wave.

In 2014, the corporation announced the takeover of a manufacturer of equipment for digital guitar processing and amplifiers Line6.

Also, in 2014, Yamaha announced an agreement with Revolabs, Inc. (headquarters: Sudbury, Massachusetts) is a company that designs, manufactures and markets wireless microphones, phones for corporate conference rooms and other products. As part of the agreement, Revolabs becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Yamaha.

Some Yamaha products

Trumpet yamaha.JPG

Brass and woodwind instruments

Sound projectors

Premium pianos

Yamaha M7CL with Dugan E automixer.jpg

Digital mixers

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The thought that her best time, which she would have spent loving him, was being wasted in such a way, for nothing, for no one, persistently tormented her. Most of his letters angered her. It was insulting to her to think that while she lived only in the thought of him, he lived a real life, saw new places, new people that were interesting to him. The more entertaining his letters were, the more annoying she was. Her letters to him not only did not bring her any comfort, but seemed like a boring and false duty. She did not know how to write because she could not comprehend the possibility of truthfully expressing in writing even one thousandth part of what she was accustomed to express with her voice, smile and gaze. She wrote him classically monotonous, dry letters, to which she herself did not attribute any meaning and in which, according to Brouillons, the countess corrected her spelling errors. The Countess's health was not improving; but it was no longer possible to postpone the trip to Moscow. It was necessary to make a dowry, it was necessary to sell the house, and, moreover, Prince Andrei was expected first in Moscow, where Prince Nikolai Andreich lived that winter, and Natasha was sure that he had already arrived. The Countess remained in the village, and the Count, taking Sonya and Natasha with him, went to Moscow at the end of January. Pierre, after the matchmaking of Prince Andrei and Natasha, without any obvious reason, suddenly felt the impossibility of continuing his previous life. No matter how firmly he was convinced of the truths revealed to him by his benefactor, no matter how joyful he was during that first period of fascination with the inner work of self-improvement, which he devoted himself to with such fervor, after the engagement of Prince Andrei to Natasha and after the death of Joseph Alekseevich, about which he received news almost at the same time - all the charm of this former life suddenly disappeared for him. Only one skeleton of life remained: his home with his brilliant wife, who now enjoyed the favors of one important person, acquaintance with all of St. Petersburg and service with boring formalities. And this former life suddenly presented itself to Pierre with unexpected abomination. He stopped writing his diary, avoided the company of his brothers, began to go to the club again, began to drink a lot again, again became close to single companies and began to lead such a life that Countess Elena Vasilievna considered it necessary to make a stern reprimand to him. Pierre, feeling that she was right, and in order not to compromise his wife, left for Moscow. In Moscow, as soon as he entered his huge house with withered and withering princesses, with huge courtyards, as soon as he saw - driving through the city - this Iverskaya Chapel with countless candle lights in front of golden vestments, this Kremlin Square with untrodden snow, these cab drivers and the shacks of Sivtsev Vrazhka, saw old Moscow people who wanted nothing and were slowly living out their lives, saw old women, Moscow ladies, Moscow balls and the Moscow English Club - he felt at home, in a quiet refuge. In Moscow he felt calm, warm, familiar and dirty, like wearing an old robe. Moscow society, everyone, from old women to children, accepted Pierre as their long-awaited guest, whose place was always ready and not occupied. For Moscow society, Pierre was the sweetest, kindest, smartest, cheerful, generous eccentric, absent-minded and sincere, Russian, old-fashioned gentleman. His wallet was always empty, because it was open to everyone. Benefit performances, bad paintings, statues, charitable societies, gypsies, schools, subscription dinners, revelries, Freemasons, churches, books - no one and nothing was refused, and if not for his two friends, who borrowed a lot of money from him and took him under their custody, he would give everything away. There was no lunch or evening at the club without him. As soon as he slumped back in his place on the sofa after two bottles of Margot, he was surrounded and conversations, arguments, and jokes ensued. Wherever they quarreled, he made peace with one of his kind smiles and, by the way, a joke. Masonic lodges were boring and lethargic without him. When, after a single dinner, he, with a kind and sweet smile, surrendering to the requests of the cheerful company, got up to go with them, joyful, solemn cries were heard among the youth. At balls he danced if there was no gentleman available. Young ladies and young ladies loved him because, without courting anyone, he was equally kind to everyone, especially after dinner. “Il est charmant, il n"a pas de sehe,” [He is very cute, but has no gender], they said about him. Pierre was that retired good-natured chamberlain living out his days in Moscow, of which there were hundreds. How horrified he would have been if seven years ago, when he had just arrived from abroad, someone had told him that he didn’t need to look for anything or invent anything, that his path had been broken long ago, determined from eternity, and that, no matter how he turn around, he will be what everyone else in his position was. He couldn't believe it! Didn’t he want with all his soul to establish a republic in Russia, to be Napoleon himself, to be a philosopher, to be a tactician, to defeat Napoleon? Didn’t he see the opportunity and passionately desire to regenerate the vicious human race and bring himself to the highest degree of perfection? Didn't he establish schools and hospitals and set his peasants free? And instead of all this, here he is, the rich husband of an unfaithful wife, a retired chamberlain who loves to eat, drink and easily scold the government when unbuttoned, a member of the Moscow English Club and everyone’s favorite member of Moscow society. For a long time he could not come to terms with the idea that he was the same retired Moscow chamberlain whose type he so deeply despised seven years ago. Sometimes he consoled himself with thoughts that this was the only way he was leading this life; but then he was horrified by another thought, that so far, how many people had already entered, like him, with all their teeth and hair, into this life and into this club, and left without one tooth and hair. In moments of pride, when he thought about his position, it seemed to him that he was completely different, special from those retired chamberlains whom he had despised before, that they were vulgar and stupid, happy and reassured by their position, “and even now I am still dissatisfied “I still want to do something for humanity,” he said to himself in moments of pride. “Or maybe all those comrades of mine, just like me, struggled, were looking for some new, their own path in life, and just like me, by the force of the situation, society, breed, that elemental force against which there is no a powerful man, they were brought to the same place as I,” he said to himself in moments of modesty, and after living in Moscow for some time, he no longer despised, but began to love, respect and pity, as well as himself, his comrades by fate . Pierre was not, as before, in moments of despair, melancholy and disgust for life; but the same illness, which had previously expressed itself in sharp attacks, was driven inside and did not leave him for a moment. "For what? For what? What is going on in the world?” he asked himself in bewilderment several times a day, involuntarily beginning to ponder the meaning of the phenomena of life; but knowing from experience that there were no answers to these questions, he hastily tried to turn away from them, took up a book, or hurried to the club, or to Apollo Nikolaevich to chat about city gossip. “Elena Vasilievna, who has never loved anything except her body and is one of the stupidest women in the world,” thought Pierre, “seems to people to be the height of intelligence and sophistication, and they bow before her. Napoleon Bonaparte was despised by everyone as long as he was great, and since he became a pathetic comedian, Emperor Franz has been trying to offer him his daughter as an illegitimate wife. The Spaniards send up prayers to God through the Catholic clergy in gratitude for the fact that they defeated the French on June 14th, and the French send up prayers through the same Catholic clergy that they defeated the Spaniards on June 14th. My brother Masons swear on blood that they are ready to sacrifice everything for their neighbor, and do not pay one ruble each for the collection of the poor and intrigue Astraeus against the Seekers of Manna, and are busy about the real Scottish carpet and about an act, the meaning of which is not known even to those who wrote it, and which no one needs. We all profess the Christian law of forgiveness of insults and love for one’s neighbor - the law, as a result of which we erected forty forty churches in Moscow, and yesterday we whipped a fleeing man, and the servant of the same law of love and forgiveness, the priest, allowed the cross to be kissed by a soldier before execution.” . So thought Pierre, and this whole, common, universally recognized lie, no matter how accustomed he was to it, as if it were something new, amazed him every time. “I understand these lies and confusion,” he thought, “but how can I tell them everything that I understand? I tried and always found that deep down in their souls they understand the same thing as me, but they just try not to see it. So it must be so! But for me, where should I go?” thought Pierre. He experienced the unfortunate ability of many, especially Russian people - the ability to see and believe in the possibility of good and truth, and to see too clearly the evil and lies of life in order to be able to take a serious part in it. Every area of ​​labor in his eyes was associated with evil and deception. Whatever he tried to be, whatever he undertook, evil and lies repulsed him and blocked all paths of activity for him. Meanwhile, I had to live, I had to be busy. It was too scary to be under the yoke of these insoluble questions of life, and he gave himself up to his first hobbies just to forget them. He traveled to all sorts of societies, drank a lot, bought paintings and built, and most importantly read. He read and read everything that came to hand, and read so that, having arrived home, when the footmen were still undressing him, he, having already taken a book, read - and from reading he passed on to sleep, and from sleep to chatting in the drawing rooms and club, from chatter to revelry and women, from revelry back to chatter, reading and wine. Drinking wine became more and more a physical and at the same time a moral need for him. Despite the fact that the doctors told him that, given his corruption, wine was dangerous for him, he drank a lot. He felt quite good only when, without noticing how, having poured several glasses of wine into his large mouth, he experienced a pleasant warmth in his body, tenderness for all his neighbors and the readiness of his mind to respond superficially to every thought, without delving into its essence. Only after drinking a bottle and two wines did he vaguely realize that the tangled, terrible knot of life that had terrified him before was not as terrible as he thought. With a noise in his head, chatting, listening to conversations or reading after lunch and dinner, he constantly saw this knot, from some side of it. But only under the influence of wine did he say to himself: “It’s nothing. I will unravel this - so I have an explanation ready. But now there’s no time—I’ll think about all this later!” But this never came afterwards. On an empty stomach, in the morning, all the previous questions seemed just as insoluble and terrible, and Pierre hastily grabbed the book and rejoiced when someone came to him. Sometimes Pierre recalled a story he had heard about how in war soldiers, being under cover fire and having nothing to do, diligently find something to do in order to make it easier to endure danger. And to Pierre all people seemed to be such soldiers fleeing from life: some by ambition, some by cards, some by writing laws, some by women, some by toys, some by horses, some by politics, some by hunting, some by wine, some by state affairs. “Nothing is insignificant or important, it’s all the same: just to escape from it as best I can!” thought Pierre. - “Just don’t see her, this terrible one.” At the beginning of winter, Prince Nikolai Andreich Bolkonsky and his daughter arrived in Moscow. Due to his past, his intelligence and originality, especially due to the weakening at that time of enthusiasm for the reign of Emperor Alexander, and due to the anti-French and patriotic trend that reigned in Moscow at that time, Prince Nikolai Andreich immediately became the subject of special respect from Muscovites and the center of Moscow opposition to the government. The prince grew very old this year. Sharp signs of old age appeared in him: unexpected falling asleep, forgetfulness of immediate events and memory of long-standing ones, and the childish vanity with which he accepted the role of head of the Moscow opposition. Despite the fact that when the old man, especially in the evenings, came out to tea in his fur coat and powdered wig, and, touched by someone, began his abrupt stories about the past, or even more abrupt and harsh judgments about the present, he aroused in all his guests the same feeling of respectful respect. For visitors, this entire old house with huge dressing tables, pre-revolutionary furniture, these footmen in powder, and the cool and smart old man himself from the last century with his meek daughter and pretty French girl, who revered him, presented a majestically pleasant sight. But the visitors did not think that in addition to these two or three hours, during which they saw the owners, there were another 22 hours a day, during which the secret inner life of the house took place. Recently in Moscow this inner life has become very difficult for Princess Marya. She was deprived of those of her own in Moscow best joys - conversations with God's people and solitude - which refreshed her in Bald Mountains, and did not have any of the benefits and joys of metropolitan life. She did not go out into the world; everyone knew that her father would not let her go without him, and due to ill health he himself could not travel, and she was no longer invited to dinners and evenings. Princess Marya completely abandoned hope of marriage. She saw the coldness and bitterness with which Prince Nikolai Andreich received and sent away young people who could be suitors, who sometimes came to their house. Princess Marya had no friends: on this visit to Moscow she was disappointed in her two closest people. M lle Bourienne, with whom she had previously been unable to be completely frank, now became unpleasant to her and for some reason she began to move away from her. Julie, who was in Moscow and to whom Princess Marya wrote for five years in a row, turned out to be a complete stranger to her when Princess Marya again became acquainted with her in person. Julie at this time, having become one of the richest brides in Moscow on the occasion of the death of her brothers, was in the midst of social pleasures. She was surrounded by young people who, she thought, suddenly appreciated her merits. Julie was in that period of the aging society young lady who feels that her last chance for marriage has come, and now or never her fate must be decided. Princess Marya remembered with a sad smile on Thursdays that she now had no one to write to, since Julie, Julie, from whose presence she did not feel any joy, was here and saw her every week. She, like an old emigrant who refused to marry the lady with whom he spent his evenings for several years, regretted that Julie was here and she had no one to write to. Princess Marya had no one in Moscow to talk to, no one to confide in her grief, and much new grief had been added during this time. The time for Prince Andrei's return and his marriage was approaching, and his order to prepare his father for this was not only not fulfilled, but on the contrary, the matter seemed completely ruined, and the reminder of Countess Rostova infuriated the old prince, who was already out of sorts most of the time . A new grief that had recently increased for Princess Marya was the lessons that she gave to her six-year-old nephew. In her relationship with Nikolushka, she recognized with horror the irritability of her father. No matter how many times she told herself that she shouldn’t allow herself to get excited while teaching her nephew, almost every time she sat down with a pointer to learn the French alphabet, she so wanted to quickly and easily transfer her knowledge from herself into the child, who was already afraid that there was an aunt She would be angry that at the slightest inattention on the part of the boy she would flinch, hurry, get excited, raise her voice, sometimes pull him by the hand and put him in a corner. Having put him in a corner, she herself began to cry over her evil, bad nature, and Nikolushka, imitating her sobs, came out of the corner without permission, approached her and pulled her wet hands away from her face, and consoled her. But what caused the princess more grief was her father’s irritability, which was always directed against his daughter and had recently reached the point of cruelty. If he had forced her to bow all night, if he had beaten her and forced her to carry firewood and water, it would never have occurred to her that her position was difficult; but this loving tormentor, the most cruel because he loved and tormented himself and her for that reason, deliberately knew how not only to insult and humiliate her, but also to prove to her that she was always to blame for everything. Lately, a new feature had appeared in him, one that tormented Princess Marya most of all - it was his greater rapprochement with m lle Bourienne. The thought that came to him, in the first minute after receiving news of his son’s intentions, that if Andrei marries, then he himself would marry Bourienne, apparently pleased him, and he stubbornly lately (as it seemed to Princess Marya) only in order to insult her, he showed special affection to m lle Bourienne and showed his dissatisfaction with his daughter by showing love for Bourienne.