Sakichi Toyoda Wooden Hand Loom, Automatic Loom

(Prepared by Pubulic Relations Section Genneral Affairs Division)

From an early age Sakichi Toyoda worked on improving looms. In 1891 he obtained his first patent for the Toyoda wooden hand loom. He went on to focus his efforts on the improvement and invention of looms, including a significant number of excellent motive and automatic machines.

In 1924, Toyoda invented the Type-G Toyoda automatic loom with non-stop shuttle change motion, the first of its kind in the world. The Type-G Toyoda automatic loom was a groundbreaking invention containing a number of features such as automatic thread replenishment without any drop in the weaving speed. Platt Brothers & Co., Ltd. of England, a world leader in the loom industry of the time, paid the 1929 equivalent of 1 million yen for transfer of the rights to the Type-G loom. Toyoda later used these funds as seed money to found Toyota Motor Co., Ltd.

As a result of Toyoda's inventions the quality of Japanese looms and textile products jumped to an internationally competitive level.

(Photos: Toyota Industries Corporation)

Linked from [Ten Japanese Great Inventors]

[Last updated 7 October 2002]