Section 1. The Inventions and Ideas of Sakichi Toyoda

Item 3. Expansion into Nagoya

Toyoda Shoten

In 1894, Sakichi Toyoda invented a yarn winding machine and applied for a patent on June 27 that year. According to the patent application form for patent No. 2472 "yarn-winding machine", Sakichi's address at the time was 12 Asahi-machi, Nagoya City. His first son, Kiichiro, had been born on June 11, earlier in the month.

Sakichi established a retail outlet, Toyoda Shoten, in Asahi-machi, Nagoya City (near the current Nishiki, Naka-ku area), selling yarn-winding machines while working on development of a power loom. Sakichi's younger brother Heikichi assisted with sales of yarn winding machines, and was responsible for sales in the Kanto region. Once the prototype for the power loom was completed in 1896, a power source was needed to drive the machine during test operation. Heikichi also handled this matter, purchasing a second-hand steam engine and managing to fix it well enough to run the power loom.

With support from Heikichi and Sasuke (his youngest brother), Toyoda Shoten's business grew steadily. In 1897 operations expanded with the construction of a plant at 15 Buhei-cho 3-chome, Nagoya City (near the current Izumi 1-chome, Higashi-ku area), and in January 1906 the Shimasaki-cho Plant was built at 1 Shimasaki-cho, Nishi-ku, Nagoya City (near the current Meieki, Nakamura-ku area). While the Buhei-cho Plant covered 1,300 square meters, the Shimasaki-cho Plant was seven times larger, covering 9,400 square meters. Between the establishment of the two plants, the company name was changed from Toyoda Shoten to Toyoda Shokai Office in 1902. The foundations for invention were steadily falling into place.

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