Hakunetsusha
Encyclopedia
was a company established by Shoichi Miyoshi and Fujioka Ichisuke, two of Japan's industrial pioneers during the Tokugawa / Edo Period
. It specialized in the manufacture of light bulbs.
The company was established in 1890, and started out by selling bulbs using bamboo filaments. However, following the opening up of trade with the West through the Unequal treaty, Hakunetsusha met with fierce competition from imports. Its bulb cost about 60 per cent more thn the imports and the quality was poorer. The company, even though it managed to survive with the booms after the First Sino-Japanese War
of 1894-5 and the Russo-Japanese War
of 1904-5 its financial position was precarious.
In 1905 the company was renamed Tokyo Denki (Tokyo Electric) and entered into a financial and technological collaboration with General Electric
of USA. General Electric acquired 51 percent share of ownership, sent a vice president, and provided the technology for bulb-making. Production equipment was bought from GE and Tokyo Denki soon started selling its products with GE's trademark.
In 1939, Tokyo Denki and Shibaura Seisakusho
were merged to form Tokyo Shibaura Denki (Tokyo Shibaura Electric Company, now Toshiba
).
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
. It specialized in the manufacture of light bulbs.
The company was established in 1890, and started out by selling bulbs using bamboo filaments. However, following the opening up of trade with the West through the Unequal treaty, Hakunetsusha met with fierce competition from imports. Its bulb cost about 60 per cent more thn the imports and the quality was poorer. The company, even though it managed to survive with the booms after the First Sino-Japanese War
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
of 1894-5 and the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
of 1904-5 its financial position was precarious.
In 1905 the company was renamed Tokyo Denki (Tokyo Electric) and entered into a financial and technological collaboration with General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
of USA. General Electric acquired 51 percent share of ownership, sent a vice president, and provided the technology for bulb-making. Production equipment was bought from GE and Tokyo Denki soon started selling its products with GE's trademark.
In 1939, Tokyo Denki and Shibaura Seisakusho
Shibaura Seisakusho
was the new name given to the company Tanaka Seisakusho , after it was declared insolvent in 1893 and taken over by Mitsui Bank....
were merged to form Tokyo Shibaura Denki (Tokyo Shibaura Electric Company, now Toshiba
Toshiba
is a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...
).