Jun. 10, 2014

Toyota Celebrates the Life and Vision of Founder Kiichiro Toyoda on the
120th Anniversary of his Birth

 

Toyota City, Japan, June 10, 2014―Toyota will commemorate the 120th anniversary of the birth of its founder Kiichiro Toyoda (June 11, 1894 to March 27, 1952) by holding a series of related exhibits at cultural and exhibit facilities in Japan. The unprecedented tie-up involves five facilities, and will convey the spirit of research and creativity espoused by Kiichiro Toyoda in a variety of venue-specific ways.

Logo for exhibitions commemorating 120th anniversary of Kiichiro Toyoda's birth

The Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology (in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture), which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, will present exhibits about Kiichiro Toyoda throughout the year. A special exhibit called “Kiichiro’s Dream”, shedding light on the life and personality of Toyota's founder, will open on June 28. The exhibit will show, from a manufacturing perspective, Kiichiro Toyoda’s ideas and research as he aimed to lay the foundations for the Japanese automotive industry. The museum is also planning a tour in September of sites closely connected to Kiichiro Toyoda’s life, followed by a second special exhibit in October entitled "Toyota’s Evolution: Kiichiro’s Dream, Then and Now".

The Toyota Kuragaike Commemorative Hall (in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture) will enlarge its permanent exhibit in its space dedicated to telling the story of Toyota's origins, and will conduct tours in Kiichiro’s former residence, which is usually not open to the public.

An exhibit beginning June 11 at the Toyota Automobile Museum (in Nagakute City, Aichi Prefecture) will display cars closely associated with Kiichiro Toyoda and convey his passion for passenger car development. A similar car exhibit, jointly planned with the Toyota Automobile Museum, will open on the same day at Mega Web (in Koto-ku, Tokyo).

At the end of December, the Toyota Kaikan Museum (in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture) will run an exhibit called "Returning to Toyota’s Roots: Lessons from our Founders" in the museum's Corporation and Society Area. The exhibit will cover the spirit of manufacturing created by Kiichiro and other key leaders early in Toyota's history, and the roots of the Toyota Way philosophy that still endures.

Summary of Exhibits Organized by Toyota

Facility Period Details
Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology June 28 - September 15 "Kiichiro’s Dream"
September 6 and 13 Special bus tour of three areas closely connected to Kiichiro Toyoda
Middle of October – middle of December (planned) "Toyota’s Evolution: Kiichiro’s Dream, Then and Now" (tentative title)
Toyota Kuragaike Commemorative Hall From October Additions to permanent Kiichiro Toyoda exhibit
October - November Tours of Kiichiro’s former residence
Toyota Automobile Museum June 11 - September 15 Exhibit of vehicles associated with Kiichiro Toyoda
Mega Web June 11 - August 31 Exhibit of motor vehicles associated with Kiichiro Toyoda (including a Toyota Model AC)
Toyota Kaikan Museum From late December "Returning to Toyota’s Roots: Lessons from our Founders"
A look at Toyota's progress over the last 75 years:
http://www.toyota-global.com/company/history_of_toyota/75years/

Appendix: Details of Exhibits

1. Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology

(1) "Kiichiro’s Dream"
Dates: June 28 - September 15
Location: Automobile Pavilion, 1st floor special exhibit room
Details:
(1) A six-part biography of Kiichiro Toyoda:
Chapter 1: Early life (1894-)
Chapter 2: Research and development of automatic looms (1920-)
Chapter 3: Start of automobile research (1928-)
Chapter 4: Gaining a foothold in the automobile business (1933-)
Chapter 5: Foundation of Toyota and start of operations (1937-)
Chapter 6: Rebuilding after the war (1945-)
(2) Anecdotes from Kiichiro’s life: A description of Kiichiro through his own words and the words of those around him
(3) Exhibit of Kiichiro’s personal items: Display of Kiichiro's notebooks, manuscripts, and drawings and display of a Toyota model AA passenger car
(4) Videos: Videos related to Kiichiro and historical pre-war videos
(2) Special bus tour of three buildings connected to the life of Kiichiro Toyoda
Dates: September 6 and September 13
Details: A special one-day bus tour of areas not usually open to the public in the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology, the Sakichi Toyoda Memorial House, and the Toyota Kuragaike Commemorative Hall
(3) "Toyota’s Evolution: Kiichiro’s Dream, Then and Now"
Dates: Mid-October – mid-December (planned)
Details: An overview of the ever-expanding scope of activities of the 17 Toyota Group companies that support the museum’s operations, and a look at some of their cutting-edge technologies

Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology

1. Location: 1-35, Noritake Shinmachi 4-chome, Nishi-ku, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, 451-0051
TEL: 052-551-6115; FAX: 052-551-6199
Website: http://www.tcmit.org/english/
2. Museum hours: 9:30-17:00 (Last admission 30 minutes before closing)
Closed on Monday (when a National Holiday falls on a Monday, the museum will be closed on the following day) and during the New Year's holiday.
3. Price: Adults: 500 yen; Junior and senior high school students: 300 yen; Elementary school students: 200 yen; Group discounts available

2. Toyota Kuragaike Commemorative Hall

(1) New additions to the Kiichiro Toyoda permanent exhibit
Dates: From October
Details: New additions to the permanent Kiichiro Toyoda exhibit will present Kiichiro’s drive to achieve his dream of creating a Japanese passenger car.
(2) Tours of Kiichiro’s former residence
Dates: October – November
Details: A tour of the permanent Kiichiro Toyoda exhibit and Kiichiro’s former residence (not usually open to the public)

Toyota Kuragaike Commemorative Hall

1. Location: 250 Ikeda-cho Minami, Toyota City, Aichi Pref., 471-0001
TEL: 0565-88-8811
Website: http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/about_toyota/facility/kuragaike/index.html
2. Museum hours: 9:30-17:00 (Last admission 30 minutes before closing)
Closed on Monday (when a National Holiday falls on a Monday, the museum will be closed on the following day) and during the New Year's holiday.
3. Price: Free

3. Toyota Automobile Museum

Exhibit of automobiles associated with Kiichiro Toyoda
Dates: Opening June 11
Location: Main Building, 3rd floor
Details: Display of Toyoda model AA passenger car and Toyopet model SA compact passenger car with descriptions and overview of the development process

Toyota Automobile Museum

1. Location: 41-100 Yokomichi, Nagakute City, Aichi Pref, 480-1118
TEL: 0561-63-5151
Website: http://www.toyota.co.jp/Museum/english/
2. Museum hours: 9:30-17:00 (Last admission 30 minutes before closing)
Closed on Monday (when a National Holiday falls on a Monday, the museum will be closed on the following day) and during the New Year's holiday.
3. Price: Adults: 1,000 yen; Seniors (aged 65 or over): 500 yen; Junior and senior high school students: 600 yen; Elementary school students: 400 yen; Group discounts available; visits to the 1st and 3rd floors of the Annex Building are free of charge

4. Mega Web

Exhibit on Kiichiro Toyoda (joint exhibit with the Toyota Automobile Museum)
Dates: Opening June 11 – August 31
Location: History Garage
Details: Display of Toyota model AC passenger car; exhibit on Kiichiro Toyoda as a part of a photo archive of cars in pre-war Japan, a joint exhibit with the Toyota Automobile Museum currently underway in the History Garage.

Mega Web

1. Location: 3-12 Aomi 1-chome, Kouto-ku, Tokyo-to, 135-0064
TEL: 03-3599-0808
Website: http://www.megaweb.gr.jp/ (Japanese only)
2. Museum hours: 11:00-21:00
Irregular holidays (closed on June 16 and 17 and July 14)
3. Price: Free

5. Toyota Kaikan Museum

Returning to Toyota’s Roots: Lessons from our Founders
Dates: From late December
Location: Corporation and Society Area
Details: The exhibit will cover the spirit of manufacturing created by Kiichiro and other key leaders early in Toyota's history, and the roots of the "Toyota Way" philosophy that still endures.

Toyota Kaikan Museum

1. Location: 1 Toyota-cho, Toyota City, Aichi Pref, 471-0001
TEL: 0565-29-3345
Website: http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/about_toyota/facility/toyota_kaikan/
2. Museum hours: 9:30-17:00
Closed Sundays and over the New Year, Golden Week (Japanese spring holidays), and certain days in summer; also closed on June 16, and October 13
3. Price: Free

Downloads

  • Kiichiro Toyoda
    Kiichiro Toyoda
  • Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology
    Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology
  • Poster for "Kiichiro's Dream" exhibition
    Poster for "Kiichiro's Dream" exhibition
  • Toyota Kuragaike Commemorative Hall
    Toyota Kuragaike Commemorative Hall
  • Exhibit Room focusing on Toyota's founding and early days at Toyota Kuragaike Commemorative Hall
    Exhibit Room focusing on Toyota's founding and early days at Toyota Kuragaike Commemorative Hall
  • Kiichiro Toyoda's former residence near current location of Toyota Kuragaike Commemorative Hall
    Kiichiro Toyoda's former residence near current location of Toyota Kuragaike Commemorative Hall
  • Toyota Automobile Museum
    Toyota Automobile Museum
  • Toyoda "Model AA"
    Toyoda "Model AA"
  • Toyopet "Model SA"
    Toyopet "Model SA"
  • Mega Web, Toyota's vehicle experience facility in Tokyo
    Mega Web, Toyota's vehicle experience facility in Tokyo
  • History Garage at Mega Web in Tokyo
    History Garage at Mega Web in Tokyo
  • Toyota Kaikan museum
    Toyota Kaikan museum
  • Corporation and Society Area of Toyota Kaikan Museum
    Corporation and Society Area of Toyota Kaikan Museum
  • Logo for exhibitions commemorating 120th anniversary of Kiichiro Toyoda's birth
    Logo for exhibitions commemorating 120th anniversary of Kiichiro Toyoda's birth