is a Japanese company that produces
sewing machines
Diagram of a modern sewing machine
Animation of a modern sewing machine as it stitches
A sewing machine is a machine used to sew fabric and materials together with thread. Sewing machines were invented during the first Industrial Revolution ...
, with manufacturing plants in Japan,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
and
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
.
The company name until September 30, 2021 was .
History
Pine Sewing Machine Company
The Pine Sewing Machine factory was founded on 16 October 1921. In 1935, the Janome
trademark
A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a form of intellectual property that consists of a word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination that identifies a Good (economics and accounting), product or Service (economics), service f ...
was established, and the company was renamed to Janome Sewing Machine Co., Ltd. in 1954.
In the USA, its subsidiary is Janome America located in
Mahwah, New Jersey
Mahwah is the northernmost and largest municipality by geographic area () in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 25,487, a decrease of 403 ...
; it also owns the Swiss brand
Elna. The company manufactures all of its machines in the same factories.
New Home Sewing Machine Company
Around 1862, William Barker and Andrew J. Clark began producing the "Pride of the West" sewing machine, later calling it the "New England Single Thread Hand Sewing Machine" after moving the plant to
Orange, Massachusetts
Orange is a New England town, town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 7,569 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield m ...
, in 1867. Over the next few years, the New England machine and the "Home Shuttle" were their two most significant products. In 1882, the company reformed under the name New Home (a combination of the labels New England and Home Shuttle). The company ran into financial difficulties in the 1920s and was taken over by The Free Sewing Machine Company in 1930, after which the latter temporarily ran the business for two years. In 1960, New Home and the "New Home" brand were purchased by the Janome company.
Later history
Janome developed its range further by establishing a research laboratory in Tokyo in 1964. In 1971, they released the first sewing machine with both programmable and computerised functions, for the industrial market.
Janome was also the first to develop a computerized machine for home use (the Memory 7, in 1979), the first to offer professional style embroidery for the home market (the Memory Craft 8000, in 1990) and the first to offer a long-arm quilting machine for home use (the Memory Craft 6500P, in 2003).
On October 1, 2021, the company name was changed to "JANOME Corporation".
Name
The name "Janome" (蛇の目) literally means "snake's eye." It was taken from the appearance of the bobbin design at the time of brand establishment in 1935, when the newer, round bobbin system was starting to replace the traditional long shuttle. As the new round bobbin looked like a snake's eye, Janome was chosen as the company's name.
Janome is also the name of the traditional Japanese bull's-eye umbrella design.
Retail sales network

Janome is a globally recognized brand and has expanded into over 100 countries around the world. Distribution is handled through a retail sales channel, the retailers being listed on their various global websites.
See also
*
List of sewing machine brands
A sewing machine is a machine used to stitch fabric and other materials together with yarn, thread. Sewing machines were invented during the first Industrial Revolution to decrease the amount of manual sewing work performed in clothing companies. ...
References
External links
*
Janome Industrial Equipment
{{Authority control
Manufacturing companies based in Tokyo
Manufacturing companies established in 1921
Japanese companies established in 1921
Japanese brands
Sewing machine brands
Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange