The Kohara Gear Story | Recollection of the course KHK has followed for seventy years making ready-to-use gears


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Home | About KHK | History of KHK

The Kohara Gear Story
- Recollection of the course KHK has followed for seventy years making ready-to-use gears.

History of KHK
This is the old English-type lathe that Tomizo Kohara, the founder of the Kohara Gear used at the time he started his own business in 1935. The lathe is now displayed at "The founder's remembrance section" in a room of KHK Noda Co., Ltd.

"The path Tomizo Kohara followed - devotion to gear-making"

- Preface -
Kohara Gear Industry Company Limited celebrated the seventieth anniversary in 2005. The next year 2006 was also a memorable year; the 100th anni-versary of both Tomizo Kohara, the founder, and his wife Fude's birth. Tomizo Kohara devoted his life to his work and laid the foundations of Kohara Gear but it was a long bitter haul for him.

There were many dangerous points to pass through on his route. And he passed through these points with his indomitable spirit and managed to rise in the world by dent of hard work. Tomizo Kohara realized the importance of taking a positive approach toward problems and lived hard and steadily. Kohara Gear is poised to be a leader in the field of gear industry following in the founder's footsteps, living hard and steadily.

Tomizo Kohara realized the importance of record keeping - keeping a record of daily happenings, making an analysis based on such records, and pigeonholing data. He had kept a record of his all business activities in detail since 1935.

KHK Website - "KHK Company History" describes to you how Kohara Gear was like in its early years, how it has run its course up to this day.

The photographs and 8-mm movie taken by Tomizo himself are used here. A book written by Jyunji Sumiyoshi published in 1978 titled "The path Tomizo Kohara followed - devotion to gear-making" is the source of this story. We would be happy if this story cast new light on the life and the dreams of the founder, who lived at the town of "cupolas", Kawaguchi, Japan.

Feburary, 2007
KHK Company History taskforce

- Index -	Company History - from an old photographic album	Company History - 8-mm movie images
- 1 - Born as the First Son	The Starting Point of KHK Stock Gears	KHK's Oldest Picture Depicting Tomizo Kohara and Nishikicho Factory.
- 2 - Sudden Death of Mother	Kohara Haguruma Kosho (Gear Workshop)	KHK Factory and Staff in 1950's
- 3 - Separation From Father	The Founder and His Staff Members	The Growing City of Kawaguchi
- 4 - Happy Days with Father	Love for Family	Together with the Schoolchildren and the Townspeople
- 5 - An Apprenticeship at an Ironworks	The Founder's Hobbies	Establishing the Kawaguchi Motorcycle Racing
- 6- Days as an Apprentice	Precious Materials the Founder Left for Us	A Company Sponsored Bus Tour for Employees and Their Families
- 7 - Philosophy of Life Learned at the Ironworks	Handwritten Stock Gear Catalogs	The Founder Supervising the Work of Factory Construction
- 8 - Setting a Goal to Start a Company	The Items Kohara Gear Dealt In	Having a Good Time on a Company Outing
- 9 - Things That Weigh on Mind	Baseball game between schoolchildren and their parents.	Party Scenes on a Company Outing
- 10 - A Precious Experience	Contribution to the Community	Running for the Municipal Election
- 11 - Return to Kawaguchi	Construction of a New Factory in 1952	The Tour to Inspect the European Gear Manufactureres
- 12 - Wish Came True	Old Hobbing Machines	Film Shooting - To Produce Image Ads
- 13 - Come Up with New Idea	Turning and Gear-Cutting of Large-Sized Gears	KHK Baseball Team Members Playing Game
- 14 - Evacuation	KHK 'One-Cycle-Clutch' Geared Motor	Editing 8mm films and transfer them to 8mm video tapes.
- 15 - Specializing in Gear Making	A Company Sponsored Bus Tour for Employees and Their Families	A Company Field Day - Members of Our Agents Participated In
- 16 - The Birth of KHK Stock Gears and Growth	Recreational Activities	Flood Waters Swamped Downtown Kawaguchi
- 17 - The Postwar Gear Industry	The Tour to Inspect the European Gear Manufactureres in 1960	KHK Old Factory
- 18 - Learning a Management Philosophy on His Own	Transition of KHK Catalogs	Kohara Gears Employees Touring KHK Noda's New Factory
- 19 - Love for Work, People, and Kawaguchi	Celebrating the Company's Fiftieth Anniversary	Construction of a New Office/Factory Building
- 20 - Contribution to a Community	Photograph Albums Filled with Memories	The Reception to Celebrate the Companies Seventieth Anniversary and Completion of New KHK Office/Factory Building
- 21 - Devotion of Tomizo's Wife, Fude	The Construction of a New Office/Factory Building	KHK Factory Scenes - 1
- 22 - Talking about Father	The Reception to Celebrate the Companies Seventieth Anniversary	KHK Factory Scenes - 2
- 23 - Talking about The President	Making a Tour of a Hot Spring - Many KHK Retired Employees Were Invited.	Spending a Delightful Time with KHK Retired Employees
- Epilogue - To Our Readers

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