Japanese Corporation Names Ask TechJapan / Other Posted by zmcnulty on Jan 30, 2005 - 11:05 PM |
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Ever wondered what "Mitsubishi" means when written out in Japanese? Or maybe you've pondered over exactly how "Sanyo" came to be known as Sanyo*. What does the "shiba" in "Toshiba" mean? In this article, we dive deep into the corporate names of seven of the world's most well-known electronics companies:
Hint: The founder's name isn't "Mr. Sanyo." In fact, only one company out of the seven listed above still uses their founder's name as their official corporation name. Toshiba. Sanyo. Panasonic. Hitachi. Perhaps these names ring a bell? They should. Japan is well known throughout the world for their economic power. A nation 1/8th the size of the United States in land area has the world's second largest GDP. They also have the world's second largest military budget, but we won't go into that. When you take a step back for a moment and look at the distribution of resources throughout the world, you'll find Japan is far from well-equipped. So how does a nation with almost no natural resources become the world's second largest economic power? What allowed the country to come from almost total isolation in the 19th century to its current position in the 21st century? These concepts are hard to grasp for Americans in particular; our country's economy has been established based on the abundance of natural resources such as coal, steel, and fantastic soil. In a word, Japan was built by management. No group of people can manage as well as the Japanese. The Japanese corporation is a prime example of this -- just look at what happened in Detroit after the Japanese car was introduced to the American public. But we'll stay away from cars, as this site is "Tech"Japan and not "Car"Japan. Here we cover the other consumer good most often thought of as Japanese: electronics. Japan is inarguably the capital of consumer electronics. Build quality, innovation, design, standardization, and "compactness" are all terms that come to mind for me. Behind Japan's electronics are only a handful of companies; I'm sure anyone reading this article can rattle off at least ten of them without even having to think twice. It is these companies that have helped drive Japan to where it is today and helped establish the country as the world's powerhouse for innovation in the consumer electronics industry. Indeed, I doubt any single country is more responsible for the small conveniences that many of us are brought on a daily basis by the use of personal electronic devices. An aspect I've never really heard covered regarding these corporations is how they got their names. Does anyone care? Maybe not, but I'm writing this article anyway. Obviously this isn't earth-shattering information -- think of it as material for your next water-cooler conversation or a pick-up line at a bar: "Hey, is that a Panasonic in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me? Oh, it IS a Panasonic. Well Panasonic means ____ in Japanese." Note that all "Name Breakdowns" are to be taken lightly -- just like the name "Smith" doesn't necessarily mean someone is a blacksmith, Japanese names aren't meant to be taken literally. Here's a breakdown of this article.
We begin our investigation with one of the companies that dethroned film giant Kodak: FujiFilm. Please use the page navigation buttons below to find your way through this article. Official company name Fuji Photo Film Corporation Common company name FujiFilm Company logo  Name when written in Japanese (normal)  Name when written in Japanese (traditional)  Name breakdown  - "Fuji" - As in Mt. Fuji. No, really. - "Firumu" - Note that this is not Kanji, but Katakana.Actual name origins Though "FujiFilm" is of course a shortened version of the company's official name, there is an interesting tale of how they acquired the use of "Fuji" in the first place. Obviously associated with national symbol Mt. Fuji, the company unsurprisingly acquired its name from this mountain. While riding in his car on vacation in the region surrounding Mt. Fuji, the name was decided upon by who was to be come the company's president, Mr. Asano. But the name was already registered to a different company; after hard negotiation, they acquired rights to the name for a total of 8,000 yen. Big money at the time. Corporate History http://www.fujifilm.co.jp/history/tokusyu01.html [1] We keep with the "Fs" as we next cover Fujitsu. While Fujitsu isn't very well known for their own consumer products (though they do exist), the company is heavily involved behind the scenes. And by behind the scenes I can mean only one thing: research and development. Official company name Fujitsu Corporation Common company name Fujitsu Company logo  Name when written in Japanese (normal)  Name when written in Japanese (traditional)  Name breakdown - "Fuji" - Again, as in "Mt. Fuji." - "Tsuu" - This character literally means "pass through."Actual name origins "Fujitsu" is actually short for "Fuji Tsuushinki Seizou Kabushikigaisha," or "Fuji Communication Equipment Manufacturing Corporation." By simply taking the first three syllables of "Fuji Tsuushinki Seizou Kabushikigaisha," Fujitsu managed to save everyone from having to write so much. The company changed its name to "Fujitsu" in 1967. "Fuji Tsuushinki Seizou Kabushikigaisha" today exists as "Fujitsu Holdings Corporation." Corporate History http://pr.fujitsu.com/jp/profile/history/hist1.html [2] Our next company is known well to hardware geeks for their purchase of IBM's hard drive division: Hitachi went on to create "Hitachi Global Storage Technologies." But that's certainly not all Hitachi does. Like most companies we cover tonight, they also offer a wide variety of products from portable audio players to enormous manufacturing robots. Official company name Hitachi Corporation Common company name Hitachi Company logo  Name when written in Japanese (normal)  Name when written in Japanese (traditional)  Name breakdown  - "Hi" - Means "Sun," or "Day." This Kanji can also mean "Japan," depending on its usage. - "Tachi" - Means "stand up," or "establish." Actual name origins Hitachi is the name of a city in Ibaraki Prefecture. The company got its name from its location; Hitachi was established as a branch off of the Hitachi Mine. Corporate History http://www.hitachi.co.jp/about/corporate/history/index.html [3] Up next is a company whose real corporate identity isn't very well known. The parent company of Panasonic and the National brands (the latter only in Japan), Matsushita Electric Industrail, is also the only corporation in our feature to retain the name of its founder. Official company name Matsushita Electric Industrial Corporation Common company name National or Panasonic Company logo  Name when written in Japanese (normal)  Name when written in Japanese (traditional)  Name breakdown  - "Matsu" - Means "pine tree." - "Shita" - Means "under." Panasonic = under a pine tree? See below for "Actual name origins."Actual name origins Mr. Matsushita! Seriously. It is the name of the founder. Incidentally, Matsushita typically isn't referred to as "Matsushita," even within Japan. Chances are, unless you say "Panasonic," people probably won't know what you're talking about. Corporate History http://panasonic.co.jp/company/person/en/index.html [4] Perhaps the oldest company of those we're covering, our next is known for all sorts of things: funding Japan's imperialistic pre-WW2 days, the Japanese Zero, heavy machinery, annoying car commercials, and most recently, LCD R&D. Yep, you guessed it: Mitsubishi. Official company name Mitsubishi Corporation Common company name Mitsubishi Company logo  Name when written in Japanese (normal)  Name when written in Japanese (traditional)  Name breakdown  - "Mitsu" - Means "three." - "Bishi" - Means "diamond shape." (Note that this Kanji originally reads "hishi," but is modified to "bishi" after "mitsu."Actual name origins Mitsubishi was founded by a man named Iwasaki Yataro in 1870, under the name "Tsukumo Shokaiin." The company became known as Mitsubishi Shokai in 1873. By 1934, Mitsubishi was already famous, with Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, Mitsubishi Electric, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries all already established. Corporate History http://www.mitsubishicorp.com/jp/about/mc/index.html [5] Robotics is one of the main names of our next company's game. Sanyo Electric Corporation of course is also responsible for a number of other consumer goods; I think my last TV was a Sanyo. Official company name Sanyo Electric Corporation Common company name Sanyo Company logo  Name when written in Japanese (normal)  Name when written in Japanese (traditional)  Name breakdown - "San" - Again means three. This is another reading for the same Kanji used in "Mitsu"bishi. - "You" - Means "ocean." Can also mean "Western" (as in, not Asian) depending on its usage.Actual name origins Toshio Iue, the founder of Sanyo, apparently had a thing for the sea. As a side note, it's interesting that Toshio Iue was actually the brother-in-law of Konosuke Matsushita, founder of Matsushita (Panasonic, if you've been reading this article). Corporate History http://www.global-sanyo.com/corporate/story/01_1.html [6] Often credited with creating one of the iPod's only decent competitors, our next company also has one of the most complicated name histories. Toshiba, our last company to be uncovered, created the "gigabeat" line of portable MP3 players. But hey, it certainly doesn't stop there -- Toshiba is also a primary supplier of handsets for Japanese mobile phone giant au. Official company name Toshiba Corporation Common company name Toshiba Company logo  Name when written in Japanese (normal)  Name when written in Japanese (traditional)  Name breakdown  - "Tou" - Means "east." - "Shiba" - Means "lawn."Actual name origins "Toshiba" is a result a merger between "Tokyo Electric" and "Shibaura Manufacturing." The two companies combined to create "Tokyo Shibaura Denki," which changed its name to simply "Toshiba" in 1984. Taking things a step back, Shibaura Manufacturing was created in 1875 by a man named Hisae Nakata, under the name "Nakata Manufacturing." Today, Toshiba accredits Mr. Nakata with the foundation of the company. Coincidentally, "Shibaura" was the name of the company's location (at the time) in Tokyo. Corporate History http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/histo_j.htm [7] And that's it for this edition of "Ask TechJapan." Hope you enjoyed it! |
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This article is from TechJapan http://www.techjapan.com/ The URL for this story is: http://www.techjapan.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=847 Links in this article [1] http://www.fujifilm.co.jp/history/tokusyu01.html [2] http://pr.fujitsu.com/jp/profile/history/hist1.html [3] http://www.hitachi.co.jp/about/corporate/history/index.html [4] http://panasonic.co.jp/company/person/en/index.html [5] http://www.mitsubishicorp.com/jp/about/mc/index.html [6] http://www.global-sanyo.com/corporate/story/01_1.html [7] http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/histo_j.htm |
