Uchikura & Co., LLC

Make Products That Others Want to Imitate

 

When people talk about Japan’s great innovators, names like Soichiro Honda, Akio Morita, or Eiichi Shibusawa often come to mind. But another remarkable entrepreneur deserves far more recognition outside Japan: Tokuji Hayakawa (1893–1980).

 

Most people know the name Sharp because of televisions, calculators, and electronic products. Few realize that the company’s name came from a writing instrument.

 

In 1915, Hayakawa developed a practical metal mechanical pencil called the Ever-Sharp Pencil. Its success eventually gave the company its name: Sharp.

 

After the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 destroyed his factory, Hayakawa moved to Osaka and started again from nothing. He entered the radio business, later expanded into television, and recognized the potential of solar energy long before it became mainstream.

 

His most famous business philosophy was:

 

“Make products that others want to imitate.”

 

Hayakawa believed that a company should not simply copy competitors or fight through lower prices. It should create something so useful and original that other companies feel compelled to follow.

 

That is real innovation.

 

Tokuji Hayakawa’s legacy extends far beyond the mechanical pencil. He showed that great companies are not built by following trends. They are built by creating products that change the market.