Hamamatsu Information Book

The natural environment of the area can be presumed to have played a great role in the development of current industries, or you might say Monozukuri (craftsmanship), in Hamamatsu.Luxuriant forests and rivers in the city allowed people to have easy access to timbers, naturally producing many skilled wood craftsmen also. Loom and piano production made full use of these resources. The casting techniques of the production were later on applied to manufacture motorcycles and automobiles. The three industries, textiles, musical instruments, and vehicles, flourished in Hamamatsu wouldn’t have developed without the support of the environment.

 

I imagine that people grew ambitious for recognition and appreciation as the city was a reclusive community, surrounded by mountains, rivers and the sea, before transportation systems were built. And the Hamamatsu’s famous dry and strong wind, called Enshu no Karakkaze, might as well have enhanced their desire, of course. 

Hamamatsu engineers may not have been motivated to develop products with their own unique ideas hypothesizing there were more direct influences from imported goods and European culture by Hamamatsu becoming a port town with wider bays at Tenryu River and Hamana Lake. Accordingly, Yaramaika Spirit, which defines the character of the community and its people as being willing to take challenges, would never have been structured either.

 

Hamamatsu Castle, built by Tokugawa Ieyasu, is famous for that many of its lords were promoted in the government afterwards. The castle had 25 lords during the 300 year history of  Edo period. As the lords of castle changed frequently, I suspect that people learned to adapt to changes and to not rely on lords for community governance. The citizens have reputation for getting easily heated up and cooled down, being neophiliac, and being open-minded of welcoming strangers. These characteristics could have been built up as implements to live through that kind of period of time.