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Miyata is a Japanese manufacturer of bicycles, unicycles and fire extinguishers. The company has been in operation since 1890. Miyata was also one of the first producers of motorcycles in Japan under the name Asahi. The Asahi AA was the first mass-produced motorcycle in Japan.〔 Miyata claims to have been the first Japanese manufacturer of ''flash-butt welded'' frame tubes (1946) and the first to use electrostatic painting (1950).〔1981 Miyata catalog (USA)〕 ==History== Miyata was founded by Eisuke Miyata, a gunsmith and engineer from Tokyo. In 1881, Eisuke opened a gun shop and factory in Shiba which he called Miyata Manufacturing, producing arms for the Imperial Japanese Navy. In 1889, a foreigner visited Miyata to ask the gunmakers to repair his bicycle. The engineers repaired the bicycle, and the company began to repair bicycles as a side business. Eisuke's son, Eitarō, manufactured the first Miyata prototype bicycle in 1890, using rifle barrels produced at the family's factory. The early success of Miyata's bicycles was boosted by a request in 1892 from crown prince Yoshihito (later Emperor Taishō) to build him a bicycle. Upon Eisuke's death on 6 June 1900 and with the market becoming flooded by foreign gun manufacturers, Eitarō converted the business entirely to bicycle manufacturing.〔 Many say Miyata pioneered triple butting, and revolutionized frame building techniques. The first Miyatas were bolt-upright town bikes. Over the decades, Miyata established a good foothold in the bicycle market, becoming contracted by multiple local brands to build their bicycles and ultimately attracting Panasonic Corporation to become a shareholder in 1959. Panasonic Corporation, for a period the manufacturer of ''National'' and ''Panasonic'' brand bicycles, was Miyata's largest shareholder from 1959 until 2008, when it sold its remaining stake in Miyata.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 quote = Panasonic Corp. has agreed to sell its 40.69 pct stake in bicycle maker Miyata Industry Co. to fire engine maker Morita Holdings Corp. officials at the Japanese electronics maker said Wednesday. Morita, which acquired 10 pct of Miyata in 2001, will buy Panasonic's holdings in a tender offer. Panasonic, Miyata's largest shareholder, has been supporting the company's turnaround effort since its 1959 equity participation. In the tender offer set for Thursday through Nov. 7, Morita will buy Miyata shares for 205 yen apiece. Miyata could be delisted from the second section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange as Morita has no upper limit on the number of Miyata shares it will buy. )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Miyata」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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