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{{Infobox_Company 
|company_name = Yamaha Corporation<br />ヤマハ株式会社
|company_logo = [[Image:YamahaCorp.svg|200px|Yamaha Logo]]
|company_type = 
|foundation = October 12, 1887|area_served = 
|location_city = [[Hamamatsu]], [[Shizuoka prefecture]]
|location_country = Japan
|key_people = 

|industry = Conglomerate
|products = Musical instruments, Audio/Video, Electronics, Computer related products, ATVs, Motorbikes, Vehicle Engines, [[Personal water craft]]
|revenue = {{profit}} 7.4 billion US$ (2003)
|operating_income = 900 million US$ (2005)
|net_income = 149 million US$ (2003)
|num_employees = 23,500 (3/2003)
|parent =
|subsid =
|homepage = [http://www.yamaha.com Yamaha.com]
|footnotes =
}}

The {{nihongo|'''Yamaha Corporation'''|ヤマハ株式会社|Yamaha Kabushiki Gaisha}} ({{tyo|7951}}) is a [[multinational corporation]] and [[Conglomerate (company)|conglomerate]] based in Japan with a wide range of products and services, predominantly musical instruments, motorcycles and powersports equipment, and electronics.

==History==
[[Image:YAMAHA (headquarters 3).jpg|thumb|left|250px|The headquarters of Yamaha Corporation]]
Yamaha was established in 1887 as a [[piano]] and [[reed organ]] manufacturer by [[Torakusu Yamaha]] as {{nihongo|'''Nippon Gakki Company, Limited'''|日本楽器製造株式会社|Nippon Gakki Seizō Kabushiki Gaisha}} in [[Hamamatsu]], [[Shizuoka prefecture]], and was incorporated on October 12, 1897. The company's origins as a musical instrument manufacturer is still reflected today in the group's logo&mdash;a trio of interlocking [[tuning fork]]s. [http://www.global.yamaha.com/about/brand/index.html]  

After [[World War II]], company president Genichi Kawakamisaki repurposed the remains of the company's war-time production machinery and the company's expertise in metallurgical technologies to the manufacture of [[motorcycle]]s. The YA-1 (aka Akatombo, the "Red Dragonfly"), of which 125 were built in the first year of production (1958), was named in honor of the founder. It was a 125cc, single cylinder, two-stroke, streetbike patterned after the German [[DKW]] [[RT 125|RT125]] (which the British munitions firm, [[Birmingham Small Arms Company|BSA]], had also copied in the post-war era and manufactured as the ''[[BSA Bantam|Bantam]]'' and [[Harley-Davidson]] as the ''Hummer''). In 1959, the success of the YA-1 resulted in the founding of the Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.

Yamaha has grown to become the world's largest manufacturer of musical instruments (including [[Pianos]],[[Silent_piano|"silent" pianos]], [[drum]]s, [[guitar]]s, [[brass instruments]], [[woodwind]]s, [[violin]]s, [[viola]]s, [[cello|celli]], and [[vibraphone]]s), as well as a leading manufacturer of  [[semiconductor]]s, [[Audio-visual|Audio/Visual]], computer related products, sporting goods, [[home appliance]]s, specialty metals and [[Industrial robot]]s.

In October 1987, on its 100th anniversary, the name was changed to ''The Yamaha Corporation''. 

In 1989, Yamaha shipped the world's first [[CD recorder]]{{Timefact}}. Since then, Yamaha has purchased [[Sequential Circuits]] in 1988 and bought a significant share (51%) of competitor [[Korg]] in 1989&ndash;1993.

In 2002, Yamaha closed down its [[archery]] product business that was started in 1959. Six archers in five different [[Olympic Games]] won gold medals using their products.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.global.yamaha.com/news/2002/20020201.html | title = YAMAHA to Close Archery Products Business | date = 2002-02-01 | accessdate = 2008-04-30}}</ref>

It acquired German Audio Software manufacturers [[Steinberg]] in 2004, from [[Pinnacle Systems]].

In July, 2007, Yamaha bought out the minority shareholding of the Kemble family in Yamaha-Kemble Music (UK) Ltd, Yamaha's UK import and musical instrument and professional audio equipment sales arm, the company being renamed Yamaha Music U.K. Ltd in autumn 2007.<ref>[http://www.global.yamaha.com/news/2007/20070710.html Cancellation of Joint Venture Contracts for Sales Subsidiaries in U.K. and Spain], Yamaha Global website, July 10, 2007</ref>  Kemble & Co. Ltd, the UK piano sales & manufacturing arm was unaffected.<ref>[http://www.mi-pro.co.uk/news/28011/Yamaha-buys-out-Kemble-family Yamaha buys out Kemble family], MI Pro, July 10, 2007</ref>

On December 20, 2007, Yamaha made an agreement with the Austrian Bank BAWAG P.S.K. Group BAWAG to purchase all the shares of [[Bösendorfer]]<ref>Competition For Bosendorfer.[http://www.forbes.com/2007/11/30/bosendorfer-bawag-yamaha-markets-equity-cx_jc_1130markets04.html]</ref>, intended to take place in early 2008. Yamaha intends to continue manufacturing at the Bösendorfer facilities in Austria.<ref>[http://www.global.yamaha.com/news/2007/20071220a.html Yamaha Reaches Basic Agreement with Austrian Bank to Purchase All Shares of Bösendorfer], Yamaha Global website, December 20, 2007</ref>The acquisition of [[Bösendorfer]] was announced after the [[NAMM Show]] in Los Angeles, on January 28, 2008. As of February 1, 2008, Bösendorfer Klavierfabrik GmbH operates as a subsidiary of Yamaha Corp.<ref>Business Week. March 3, 2008. Bosendorfer Klavierfabrik GmbH. [http://investing.businessweek.com/businessweek/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=1554618]</ref>

Yamaha Corporation is also widely known for their music program that began in the 1980s.

Yamaha electronic pianos continue to be a successful, popular and respected product. For example the [[Yamaha YPG-625]] was given the award "Keyboard of the Year" and "Product of the Year" in 2007 from <i>The Music and Sound Retailer</i> magazine [http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/ContentDetail/ModelSeriesDetail/0,,CNTID%25253D65229%252526CTID%25253D205200,00.html].

Other companies in the Yamaha group include:
*[[Bösendorfer]] Klavierfabrik GmbH, Vienna, Austria.
*[[Yamaha Motor Company]]
*Yamaha Fine Technologies Co., Ltd.
*Yamaha Livingtec Corporation
*Yamaha Metanix Corporation
*[[Yamaha Pro Audio]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Products==
{{main|List of Yamaha products}}


==Sports teams==
*[[Yamaha Jubilo]] - [[Rugby union|rugby]]

==External links==

*[http://www.yamaha.com/ Official website]
*[http://www.yamahamusician.com Yamaha Musician] - Yamaha enthusiast keyboard site
*[http://www.yamahapiyano.com/ Yamaha Piano]


{{IT giants}}
{{Japanese Automobile Industry}}


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[[Category:Yamaha|Yamaha]]
[[Category:Companies headquartered in Shizuoka]]

[[Category:Audio equipment manufacturers]]
[[Category:Compact Disc player manufacturers]]
[[Category:Loudspeaker manufacturers]]
[[Category:Phonograph manufacturers]]
[[Category:Sound amplifier manufacturers]]
[[Category:Electronics companies of Japan]]
[[Category:Manufacturing companies of Japan]]

[[Category:Musical instrument manufacturing companies]]
[[Category:Guitar manufacturing companies]]
[[Category:Guitar effects manufacturing companies]]
[[Category:Percussion instrument manufacturing companies]]
[[Category:Piano manufacturing companies]]
[[Category:Synthesizer manufacturing companies]]
[[Category:Electronic organ manufacturing companies]]