Kōnosuke Matsushita
| Kōnosuke Matsushita | |
|---|---|
| Native name | 松下 幸之助 |
| Born | 27 November 1894 Wakayama, Japan |
| Died | 27 April 1989 (aged 94) Moriguchi, Osaka, Japan |
| Occupation | Businessman and industrialist |
| Spouse(s) | Mumeno Iue |
| Children | Sachiko Matsushita |
Kōnosuke Matsushita (松下 幸之助 Matsushita Kōnosuke?, 27 November 1894 – 27 April 1989) was a Japanese industrialist who founded Panasonic, the largest Japanese consumer electronics company. For many Japanese, he is known as "the god of management". A biography of Matsushita's life called Matsushita Leadership was written by American business management specialist John Kotter in 1998.
Kōnosuke Matsushita was born on 27 November 1894 in Wakayama Prefecture. His father was an affluent landlord in the farming village of Wasa which is a part of Wakayama today. Matsushita was born into a well-to-do family but the family became impoverished because his father made some bad investment decisions, primarily in rice speculation. In 1899, the family's entire fortune was gone and anything of value was sold off. The family was forced to move to a cramped three bedroom city apartment where conditions were less than sanitary.
Shortly after Matsushita left school, he was sent away to Osaka to become an apprentice for a hibachi store. Not even a year into his apprenticeship, the hibachi shop failed and Matsushita was left looking for another source of income. Matsushita applied for a job with the Osaka Electric Light Company, an electrical utility company. Over the next couple of years, Matsushita's position rose within the company as he was promoted several times. During this time, Matsushita was introduced to one of his sister's friends and shortly thereafter, he married Mumeno Iue. Matsushita was now responsible for a family and this newfound burden was not lost on him.
At the age of 22, he was promoted to the position of an electrical inspector. During this time frame that Matsushita attempted to introduce his boss to an invention of a new and improved light socket that he had perfected in his spare time. However, his boss was less than enthusiastic.
In 1917, Matsushita left Osaka Electric Light Company to set up his own company. Without capital, a formal education, or experience in manufacturing, it would appear the company would fail before it even began. He set up his shop in the basement of his tenement. With his wife, his brother-in-law and several assistants, he began creating several samples of his product. He attempted to peddle the samples to wholesalers but was unsuccessful because he did not offer more than one product.
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