was a Japanese inventor,

machinist A machinist is a tradesperson or trained professional who operates machine tools, and has the ability to set up tools such as milling machines, grinders, lathes, and drilling machines. A competent machinist will generally have a strong mechan ...

, industrialist and businessman whose company, Toyo Kogyo, led to the founding of the present-day multinational automaker Mazda Motor Corporation.

Early life

The son of a fisherman, Matsuda was born in

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui has b ...

in 1875. He was apprenticed to a blacksmith in

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

at the age of 14 and invented the "Matsuda-type pump" in 1906. He later took over management of the foundry at which he apprenticed and changed the name of the organization to "Matsuda Pump Partnership"; he was eventually forced out of the company, but launched an arms manufacturing company soon after: the eponymously-named Matsuda Works. Matsuda would see his fledgling company's fortunes improve when it was commissioned as a supplier to the Tsar of Russia and as the manufacturer of the Type 99 rifle for the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces.

Career

By 1921, Matsuda had accumulated significant wealth owing to his previous business ventures. He moved back to

after he was asked to take over management of floundering artificial cork manufacturer , which was placed into receivership by its creditors when the market for artificial cork dried up following the end of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The unprofitable cork business ceased, and Matsuda focused on tool manufacturing. 1931 oversaw the introduction of the " Mazda-Go" motorized tricycle, manufactured in what is now the city of Fuchū and the company, now known as , would concentrate on motor vehicle manufacturing.

World War II and aftermath

In August 1945, the Toyo Kogyo headquarters in Hiroshima sustained heavy damage in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, which was carried out by the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

against

Imperial Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

in the closing stages of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The Fuchū plant, located over from the epicentre of the nuclear explosion, was left relatively unscathed; Matsuda offered its usage for the Hiroshima bureau of the Japan Broadcasting Corporation. During the Allied occupation of Japan, Matsuda was not accused nor formally charged of being a war conspirator, and a revitalized Toyo Kogyo was the main driving force behind repairing the damaged economy of Hiroshima in the

aftermath of World War II The aftermath of World War II saw the rise of two global superpowers, the United States (U.S.) and the Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.). The aftermath of World War II was also defined by the rising threat of nuclear warfare, the creation and implementati ...

. In 1950, Toyo Kogyo provided the start-up for a baseball team, the Hiroshima Carp ( Baseball in Japan was introduced in 1872 and is Japan's most popular sport). His adopted son-in-law, Tsuneji Matsuda, succeeded him as president of Toyo Kogyo and oversaw the expansion of its automobile division until 1979, when

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...

took a 25 percent equity stake. The alliance with Ford Motor Company led to the divestiture of shares from the Matsuda family and the change of Toyo Kogyo into Mazda Motor Corporation in 1984; the Matsuda family still owns a controlling interest in the Hiroshima Toyo Carp.

Death and legacy

Matsuda died on 27 March 1952. For his contributions to Hiroshima Prefecture, a bronze statue of him was created in 1965 by Onomichi-native sculptor Katsuzou Entsuba, and was erected at the Hijiyama Park in Minami-ku, Hiroshima.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matsuda, Jujiro 1875 births 1952 deaths 20th-century Japanese inventors Japanese founders of automobile manufacturers People from Hiroshima Machinists Mazda