Piano Project

As Mr Saito got stuck in a traffic jam he was 1 hour late, but soon began to open up the piano. We were all excited to see how it looked inside.

The front of the piano, its mechanism and its keys were removed and you could get a really good look inside. From the frame and bolts it was judged that it was a German piano.


Piano makers always leave their name somewhere inside the piano. Underneath the wood which supports the keys we found it.

It said Yokohama piano workshop keymakers 1934 18^th December. Saito said that the mark of Yokohama means that they use very good materials.

At that time there were 3 piano workshops in Yokohama : Nishikawa, Shu-piano and Ri-piano. Due to the positioning of the frame it seems to be made by Nishikawa. It may have been the workshop which made the primatone piano.


The mechanism and frame is German but the keys are made in Japan. They have been made with great care and attention to detail.

On the action mechanism is the sign of Louis Renner 1884-1934 50 years, the sign of the Stuttgart maker. The mechanism has been preserved well in its original state.



The resonance board is also made of a fine material and well crafted. Its out box resembles the style of 1920s Germany.

What needs mending:

*sound board – a running crack to be mended

*pin block – appears to have some damage so nears to be replaced

The pin block is on the other side of the frame so in order to remove it the whole piano must be taken apart. Currently Ito Shin (Hamamatsu, Tokyo)  is the only company to make piano strings. Using metal known as Swedish steel they produce high quality strings. In the past there were no makers for piano parts in Japan so they had to be imported from Hong Kong, and strung upon the steel frame.