ABOUT SHIGERU KAWAI

PHILOSOPHY-1 ~ Quotes from the people who create our pianos ~

Continuous evolution is what piano building is all about.

Craftsmanship Pursuing for Excellence.

What support the sounds produced by the Shigeru Kawai are the craftsmen who have dedicated their lives to build the world’s finest pianos.
Every step of the piano creation process is performed without urgency,
as the craftsmen draw upon years of experience to achieve ultimate perfection.
It is this carefulness toward making the ultimate note that enables our pianos to attract lovers of piano music around the world.

shigeru kawai

My love of pianos lifts my spirits when I create them.
To me, creating sounds is an expression of myself. This has led to my love of pianos, and to my heartfelt desire that the pianos I work on will perform successfully.
— Tatsuya Murakami

I cherish inspiration.
I place the most importance on things that support this inspiration.
— Yutaka Nakao

First I build a piano as specified. But I can never be satisfied with it. I continue to pursue originality and creativity in my quest for beauty.
— Michio Totsuka

All the pianos I bring into the world are unique.
Although I continue to create many pianos every day, I see each of them as special—I believe this is due to my respect for their owners and my love of the pianos.
— Kosuke Tanaka

Shigeru Kawai

shigeru kawai

A sound loved by people all over the world. When I was in Europe, I visited one music school in a r ural town for tuning. One of the teachers at the school said to me, “I like the sound of KAWAI pianos.” I was impressed to discover that there are KAWAI fans all over the world.
— Shinji Kurisu

I am proud to be the first female MPA.
— Nozomi Suzuki

Our chief engineer tells us, “To create good sound, be moved and impressed by something that touches your heart, and fall in love.”
— Hidemi Okubo

Shigeru Kawai

The Ryuyo Factory

The Ryuyo Factory: “a workshop in the woods,” where wisdom and knowledge of grand piano craftsmanship flourishes.: When the Ryuyo Factory was built by Shigeru Kawai in 1980, it was one of the largest grand piano factories in the world. Within this optimal environment, the facilities for building piano, which the processes are performed in traditional handcrafting, and the Shigeru Kawai Research and Development Laboratory are established. “Each piano must be handcrafted carefully ” - this belief, which has remained unchanged, is deeply rooted here.

Quotes from the people who create our pianos

● I believe I have to work hard so that people who see my pianos several decades from now will say, “This is a well-made instrument.” (Kazuhisa Haga)
● During a business trip to Germany, I got lost while looking for the home of the customer I was delivering the Shigeru Kawai to. Although I was more than two hours late for my appointment, the customer welcomed me, saying, “Thank you so much for coming all the way from Japan.” (Nobumichi Suzuki)
● If a piano is broken, it can be replaced with a new one. But you, piano tuner, are irreplaceable. (Tsubasa Shiroyama)
● Keep everything tidy, organized, and clean. You can’t do a good job unless you keep your environment clean. (Michio Takahashi)
● I believe I will surely experience outstanding results if I treat every single piano, every single pianist, every single customer, and every single overseas dealer with the spirit of “Ichigo-ichie (Treasure each encounter, for it will never recur).” (Naomi Hamaguchi)