Konosuke Matsushita (松下 幸之助 Matsushita Kōnosuke, November 27, 1894 – April 27, 1989) was a Japanese industrialist, the founder of Matsushita Electric, a company based in the suburb of Kadoma (on the Keihan line), Osaka in Japan. For Japanese, he is known as "the god of management". Japanese (日本語, ) is a language spoken by over 127 million people, mainly in Japan, but also by Japanese emigrant communities around the world. ... November 27 is the 331st day (332nd on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Logo for the Panasonic brand Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. ... Namihaya-Dome（なみはやドーム） Kadoma (門真市; -shi) is a city located in Osaka, Japan. ... Osaka Castle Location in Japan Osaka (Japanese: 大阪市, ÅŒsaka-shi, â–¶ (help· info)) is the capital of Osaka Prefecture and the third-largest city in Japan, with a population of 2. ...

Matsushita's Early Life

Konosuke Matsushita was born in 1894 in the farming village of Wasa in Wakayama Prefecture, the son of a landlord. Poor investment decisions by his father in rice speculation ruined the family's finances, and Matsushita was sent to Osaka to work. 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Wakayama Castle Wakayama (和歌山市 -shi) is the capital city of Wakayama Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. ... Wakayama Prefecture (和歌山県; Wakayama-ken) is part of the Kii Peninsula in the Kinki region on Honshu island, Japan. ... Species Oryza glaberrima Oryza sativa Rice refers to two species (Oryza sativa and Oryza glaberrima) of grass, native to tropical and subtropical southeastern Asia and to Africa, which together provide more than one fifth of the calories consumed by humans. ...

In 1910, at the age of 16, Matsushita was taken on as a wiring assistant at the Osaka Electric Light Company. In 1915, he would marry Mumeno Iue.-1... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Matsushita wanted to market a new light socket he had invented, and so in 1918, at the age of 23, he founded Matsushita Electric Appliance Factory with his first employees being himself, Mumeno, and Mumeno's brother, Toshio Iue. His company almost went bankrupt until a large order came in for electric fan parts. He used the money to expand production and drop prices for his lamp sockets, a strategy that paid off. 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ...

Matsushita used the trademark ‘National’ on Matsushita products, and dropped prices to make his lamp a mass-market product. Matsushita also used national newspaper advertising, an unusual form of marketing in Japan in the 1920s. A trademark or trade mark[1] is a distinctive sign of some kind which is used by a business to uniquely identify itself and its products and services to consumers, and to distinguish the business and its products or services from those of other businesses. ...

Matsushita and the Post-war period

In post-war Japan, the company came under severe restrictions imposed on large Japanese companies by the Allies. Matsushita was in danger of removal as president, but was saved by a favourable petition signed by 15,000 employees. When spelt with a capital A, Allies usually denotes the countries supporting the Triple Entente who fought together against the Central Powers in World War I and against the Axis Powers in World War II. For more information, see the related articles: Allies of World War I and Allies of...

In 1947, Konosuke lent his brother-in-law Toshio an unutilized manufacturing plant to manufacture bicycle lamps, which eventually became Sanyo Electric. 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... Sanyo Electric Co. ...

From 1950 to 1973, Matsushita's company became one of the world’s largest manufacturers of electrical goods, sold under well-known trademarks including Panasonic, Technics, and JVC. Matsushita retired in 1973. 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... A trademark or trade mark[1] is a distinctive sign of some kind which is used by a business to uniquely identify itself and its products and services to consumers, and to distinguish the business and its products or services from those of other businesses. ...

In retirement, Matsushita focused on developing and explaining his social and commercial philosophies, and wrote 44 published books. One of his books, entitled “Developing a road to peace and happiness through prosperity”, sold over four million copies.

Chronic lung problems lead to his death of pneumonia on 27 April 1989, at the age of 94. He died with personal assets worth $3 billion, and left a company with $42 billion in revenue business. The lungs flank the heart and great vessels in the chest cavity. ... Pneumonia is an illness of the lungs and respiratory system in which the microscopic, air-filled sacs (alveoli) responsible for absorbing oxygen from the atmosphere become inflamed and flooded with fluid. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• The Founder, Konosuke Matsushita