CHRONOLOGY

• 1920

  • Dec.

    Takaharu Kitano founded Kitano Shokai and started out manufacturing and selling special light bulbs mainly for automotive applications

  Founding Kitano Shokai from Zero

  　"I want to become the number one business in Japan quickly, even as a roasted sweet potato or an udon (noodles) vendor. But this is the beginning of the electricity era. I will engage in electrical products that require less capital."
  　Making up his mind, Takaharu Kitano started Kitano Shokai on December 29, 1920, which was the predecessor of Stanley Electric. He rented a shop that also functioned as a house in Shiba-ku, Tokyo City (currently, Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo), and then set up a private shop selling special light bulbs consisting mainly of automotive applications. The only things he had at the shop were worn tables and chairs and a little savings of 280 JPY. He had neither the capital, employees, nor customers. He had nothing and started exactly from scratch. This was when Takaharu was thirty years old.

• 1921

  • Mar.

    Trademark established as "Stanley"

  • May

    Recruited its first two employees

  

  In front of Kitano Shokai with family members and employees

• 1922

  • -

    Received a mass order for automotive light bulbs from the J. H. Messabey Trading Company of America

• 1923

  • Sep.

    The Great Kanto Earthquake completely destroyed the facilities of Kitano Shokai

  • Dec.

    Changed its trading name to Tokyo Kitano Shokai in commemoration of the company's relaunch

  Recovery from the Great Earthquake, and the Change of the Company's Name

  　Two years and eight months after the start of the business, all of Takaharu's efforts came to nothing because of the Great Kanto Earthquake in September 1923. However, in December of the same year, he had a building constructed, which served as an office and a factory, and then changed the company's name to Tokyo Kitano Shokai to commemorate its relaunch. The company successfully recovered from the disaster. Despite the aftermath of the earthquake, the company greatly expanded its sales in both domestic and export markets and achieved the leading position in automotive light bulbs.

  

  In front of Tokyo Kitano Shokai

• 1928

  • May

    President Takaharu Kitano left for Europe and the U.S. for his first inspection tour

• 1929

  • May

    Launched permanent contact model special light bulbs

• 1930

  • May

    Launched the Crystal Star, a star-shaped decorative light

  • Nov.

    Completed the three-story office at 5-6, Tamura-cho, Shiba-ku, Tokyo City, Japan

• 1932

  • May

    Opened the Meguro Factory

• 1933

  • Mar.

    Established Articles of Incorporation

  • May

    Established Stanley Electric Co., Ltd. (Capital stock: 500,000 yen)

  • Takaharu Kitano appointed as President

  • -

    Started to sell Baby Light, a small handy flashlight that utilized a miniature bulb

  The Birth of Stanley Electric

  　At that time, the company was just a commercial business with no manufacturing department, but in May 1932, it built a factory in Meguro-ku, Tokyo City, where the current headquarters is located.
  　On May 5, 1933, the company changed its name to Stanley Electric Co., Ltd. to match its light bulb brand "Stanley," which was named after Henry Morton Stanley, a famous British explorer. The company then started to make a major effort to enter into the manufacturing industry.
  　While manufacturing light bulbs, Stanley Electric started to produce enamel resistors in 1935. These resistors turned out to be epoch-making in the company's expansion into the electric field. In 1940, the company also started manufacturing selenium rectifiers. This was how Stanley Electric began to emerge as a substantial electrical manufacturer.
  　However, in December 1944, the Pacific War broke out. The deadly bombing of Tokyo on the night of April 15, 1945, destroyed the Nakameguro headquarters, the factory, and the warehouse. It was the second disaster following the Great Kanto Earthquake.

  

  The Meguro Factory after being reorganized as a business corporation

• 1935

  • Jan.

    Established the Osaka Branch (upgraded from a local office) as the first regional establishment

  • -

    Started to manufacture enamel resistors

  • -

    Launched an application of miniature bulbs as pistol lights, etc.

  

  Enamel resistors that paved the path to electrical manufacturer

• 1937

  • Sep.

    President Takaharu Kitano left for Europe and the U.S. for his second inspection tour

  • -

    Launched the Compact Light, an application of miniature bulbs

  • -

    Grand sale of Camera Light, an application of miniature bulbs, with free gifts

• 1938

  • Nov.

    Relocated the Head Office and Sales Office to the factory area (Nakameguro)

  

  The Nakameguro light bulb factory equipped with the latest facilities at the time

• 1939

  • Apr.

    Started to research and manufacture selenium rectifiers plates

  • Launched light bulbs for airplanes

• 1940

  • Apr.

    Started to manufacture selenium rectifiers

• 1943

  • May

    The company name changed to Kitano Denki Kogyo Co., Ltd. in response to the prevailing situation

  

  A wooden signboard with the name changed to Kitano Denki Kogyo in response to the prevailing situation

• 1944

  • Mar.

    Increased capital stock to 1,000,000 JPY

• 1945

  • Jan.

    Increased capital stock to 2,000,000 JPY

  • Mar.

    Opened the Todoroki Factory

  • Apr.

    The Head Office and the Meguro Factory were destroyed by the fire after the air raids

  • Aug.

    Kitano Denki Kogyo Co., Ltd. was dissolved due to the end of World War II