April 2, 1946
Katsumi Yanagisawa starts manufacturing music stands in Sumida, Tokyo, Japan.

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By 1949
Katsumi's music stand business grows steadily fueled by growing music education in the schools and by the popularity of jazz music.  Although there's demand, domestically produced percussion instruments are practically non existent.

1950
Realizing this need, Katsumi starts building drums - a few bass drums, snare drums, and stands - and names his company "Pearl Industry, Ltd."

By 1953
Now called "Pearl Musical Instrument Company," Katsumi's company expands manufacturing to include drum sets, marching drums, timpani, Latin percussion instruments, cymbals, stands, and accessories.

1957
Katsumi's eldest son, Mitsuo, joins Pearl.  Seeing the sales potential of markets outside Japan, he forms an export division and starts exporting products through agents and trading companies.

1961
Pearl builds a 15,000 sq. foot factory in Chiba, Japan to fill the worldwide demand for drum sets spurred by the popularity of Rock and Roll.  These sets are inexpensive and bares the brand name of the distributor; such as Maxwin, CB-700, Crest, Revelle, Revere, Lyra, Majestic, Whitehall, Apollo, Toreador, Roxy, Coronet, and others...over 30 brands in all.

1964

1965
Mitsuo formulates a long-range plan to bring Pearl to the forefront of the percussion industry.  Under his plan, Pearl would: 1) develop new products with quality equal to or better than products offered by established brand name companies; 2) install the latest automated machinery in the Chiba factory to increase production; 3) establish a sister factory in Taiwan; and 4) establish a world-wide sales and service network.

1966
Pearl introduces the "President Series," Pearl's first professional drum set.

1967

1968
Pearl enters the flute market with instruments ranging from student to hand-made professional models in gold and silver.

Click here to view 1968 Catalog (PDF)

1969

1972
Pearl introduces fiberglass and wood fiberglass shells.

1973
Pearl Musical Instrument Company of Taiwan becomes operational.  The first production sets are the W-5.

Starting with one factory in 1973, Pearl's Taiwanese operation now encompasses five factories whose output supplies virtually the entire worldwide market for Pearl products. The original Chiba factory now caters to the domestic Japanese market producing drum sets, marching drums, timpani, and symphonic chimes.

Pearl introduces the Transparents with acrylic plastic seamless shells.

1975

1976

1977

1978
Vari-Pitch Cannons - invented by Randy May - are introduced.

1979
The Syncussion electric drum system is introduced.

Coming up in the next Pearl History Installment: The Export Series and the 1980's.