The Development Mechanism of Modern Japanese Piano Manufacturing and Musical Culture from a Global Perspective

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K02283
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Aesthetics and studies on art
• Research Institution: Aichi University of the Arts
• Principal Investigator: INOUE Satsuki 愛知県立芸術大学, 音楽学部, 名誉教授 (10184251)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: ピアノ / 楽器産業 / 近代日本 / 音楽文化 / グローバル / 国産 / ヤマハ / カワイ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study is to focus on piano production from the Meiji period to the early Showa period after the introduction of Western musical instruments, to decipher its development mechanism and its relationship to musical culture, and to place it in an international context. It is difficult for a country with a different culture to adopt a musical instrument that is a product rooted in its culture, but Japan not only succeeded in doing so, but also mass-produced the instrument in a very short period of time and exported it to other countries from the Meiji period. Through research, we have shown that this was the foundation for the rapid growth of the piano industry in Japan after World War II.

Free Research Field

音楽学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は日本のピアノ製造に着目し、その独自の発展メカニズムと音楽文化とのかかわりを読み解き、さらに、それを国際的な文脈に置き直したことに意義がある。明治末年にすでに日本の楽器輸出が米国にとって脅威になっていたことが新たに分かり、戦後の日本のピアノ産業の驚異的な発展の基礎が戦前にすでに形作られていたことが実証された。