Born into a carpenter's family in Yamaguchi village, Tōtōmi (Kosai, Shizuoka).
Learning of the new patent system, he resolved to serve society through invention; seeing his mother's toil at the loom, he set about improving looms.
He won a patent for the Toyoda wooden hand loom.
He completed Japan's first power loom.
He founded a loom company but later left it over management disputes, then toured America and elsewhere.
He founded Toyoda Spinning and Weaving and continued his research.
With his son Kiichirō and others he completed a world-class automatic loom that refilled thread without stopping.
He sold the automatic loom patent to a British firm; the money went toward his son's automobile research.
He died.
Kawakami OtojirōKuroda SeikiNatsume SōsekiMasaoka ShikiKōda RohanOzaki KōyōYokoyama TaikanAkiyama Saneyuki
People of the Meiji period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.