The first of his many inventions was a snap buckle named 'Tokubijo'. Later in 1915 he invented the “Ever Ready Sharp Pencil,” a twist-type mechanical pencil that would later become the origin of the corporate brand. He called this product the Hayakawa Mechanical Pencil.
By 1916 Hayakawa begins manufacturing Ever-Sharp Pencil. Demand for this simple and durable instrument was immense. To facilitate greater production, Hayakawa first adopted an assembly line and later moved to a larger factory.
Following the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, Tokuji restarted business in Osaka, where he saw a future in the field of radio. In April 1925, he and his associates made history as they succeeded in assembling Japan's very first crystal radio.
During World War II, though, Hayakawa and his company were forced to produce devices for the military. Renamed Hayakawa Electrical Industries in 1942, the company emerged from the war damaged but not destroyed.
Sharp developed the R-10, Japan's first microwave oven in 1961. The following year, Sharp became the first company to mass produce microwave ovens.
In 1962, Sharp expanded outside of Japan and established Sharp Electronics Corporation in the United States—the company's first overseas sales base—and in 1979 it set up the Sharp Manufacturing Company of America to create a manufacturing base in the U.S.
Tokuji Hayakawa retired from the day-to-day operations of his company in 1970, assuming the title of chairman. He was replaced as president by Akira Saeki, a former executive director.
Saeki oversaw an important reorganization of the company intended to establish a new corporate identity and unify product development efforts. On January 1, 1970, the company changed its name from Hayakawa Electric Co., Ltd. to Sharp Corporation.
History of Sharp corporation
