Foundation of Kashio Seisakujo
Four Brothers Overcome Challenges Together
Four Brothers Overcome Challenges Together
Foundation of Kashio Seisakujo
Four Brothers Overcome Challenges Together
- “Tadao, I’ll help you”
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In 1931, the oldest brother Tadao started to work as a lathe operator apprentice. While continuing to work, he studied metal processing techniques at the Waseda Koshu Gakko (now Waseda University). In 1942, he partnered with a nearby factory owner to start his own business after working at several different workplaces.
During World War II, Tadao was hard at work on several projects every day with no time to rest. One day, his younger brother Toshio told him that he wanted to assist his business. Toshio was working as a technical officer at the Ministry of Communications’ Tokyo Telecommunication Engineering Bureau. On weekends, he helped his older brother’s business together with Kazuo, the third oldest of the Kashio brothers, who was a student at the time. Tadao made special tools to allow his brothers, who were not used to the work, to perform their tasks easily. The three brothers’ cooperation allowed them to steadily proceed with their work.
- Starting the business in earnest after establishing Kashio Seisakujo
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However, the war stood in the brothers’ way. Their lathes were scorched by air strikes, and the whole family was forced to evacuate.
After the war, the brothers moved to Mitaka City in Tokyo, where their relatives lived. Tadao managed to repair his lathes. He resumed his business by doing subcontracting work on conversion heaters, which were an essential product of the post-war period, as well as pots, kettles, bicycle power lamps, and microscope parts.
Around half a year later, having mostly gathered the necessary equipment, Tadao decided to start his business in earnest. In 1946, he founded Kashio Seisakujo, the predecessor of Casio, together with three young employees. With his younger brothers helping out, they took on various subcontracting jobs.
- Toshio’s brains supported Tadao’s craftsmanship
- However, in the days immediately following the end of the war, unpaid dues were an everyday occurrence. Despite their best efforts, Tadao was struggling to produce results. Toshio told the distressed Tadao, “I’ll come up with something we can manufacture.” Toshio, who was engaged in planning innovative communication systems at the Ministry of Communications, offered to join Kashio Seisakujo. At the time, Tadao flatly refused his offer because he did not feel confident that he would be able to ensure a happy life for Toshio, who had opportunities to rise through the ranks at the ministry. However, Toshio wouldn’t take no for an answer. Eventually, Tadao acquiesced. This was the moment when Toshio’s brilliant mind started to support Kashio Seisakujo, which was run by Tadao’s craftsmanship.
- Developing hit products by making use of Tadao and Toshio’s specialties
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Toshio strived to develop various products using his creativity. One of them was the yubiwa (finger ring) pipe. In the post-war days, since cigarettes were in short supply, people smoked them up until the base. Toshio invented a yubiwa pipe with a hole people could insert cigarettes into to allow them to smoke while working with their hands. Sales gradually increased, reflecting the fact that Tadao had utilized his advanced lathing techniques in creating the pipes. The brothers’ specialties turned the invention into a big hit that would fly off the shelves.
Kashio Seisakujo had gotten on the right track. The earnings generated by the yubiwa pipe would be used to fund the development of calculators later on.
