Kiichiro, the founder of Toyota, had a lucky father. He gave him the chance to learn about the world. Kiichiro’s father, Sakichi Toyoda, used to say, “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, I’ve seen more failures than successes.” Toyota was founded on this entrepreneurship and became the world’s largest brand in its field.

Who knows the most, the one who travels a lot or the one who reads a lot?” The answer to this variable question varies depending on the field you are interested in. If you are interested in humanities, read. If the subject is economics, it is obvious that traveling is more useful. If it were not for Marco Polo's trip to China, which provided the world's greatest development, neither Christopher Columbus would have boarded his ship, nor would the printing press or gunpowder be on Europe's agenda. The notes Polo took paved the way for many inventions and searches. It was the traveler Polo who paved the way for Columbus's search, which was the first modern step of capitalism in the global economy. This adventure, which began with Strabon, the most famous traveler in history, paved the way not only for geographical and cultural developments, but also for changes in the economy. Many of today's brands were noticed and developed during these trips. Although the story of Toyota, one of the world's largest automotive companies, started in the field, it was the feeling of knowing the world and the curiosity for technological development that brought it to the asphalt.

The Fall of Traditional Edo also signaled the birth of modern Japan in the second half of the 19th century. Just before the Meiji Restoration, which was a step in the Westernization process; Sakichi Toyoda, who was born as the son of a carpenter who was also interested in farming, started his youth as a modernist who was interested in reading. This interest, which started with textile production, made Sakichi feel that technology would shape the future in time. He started experimenting by thinking, “Machines work with steam but they need expensive coal, some methods should be designed to take the power of steam.” In the following periods, most of these steps that made Sakichi known as the ‘King of Inventors’ in Japan were unsuccessful. His aim was to increase the efficiency of the hand loom. Sakichi, who added the surname Toyoda, which means ‘fertile rice field’ in Japanese, to his brand, went to Ueno in Tokyo to visit the Third National Machinery Exhibition. He closely observed the working principle of the machines. Sakichi, who made his first successful invention, a wooden weaving hand loom, in the same year, established a small factory after a while. The fame of the fabrics produced in the factory spread rapidly, but this success was short-lived, and business did not go well. The factory closed a year later. Sakichi returned to his hometown of Koromo, Aichi Prefecture, and continued his work there. In order to fund his efforts, he invented the highly efficient Toyoda winding machine in 1894. Accelerating his work to electrify the loom, Sakichi made his second important trip after Tokyo, to China in 1918, just after World War I. Living in China for many years taught him the power of large-scale production. Sakichi Toyoda, who believed that “the more people use my inventions, the better off the country will be,” was a patriotic and extremely devoted father. He was too busy with industrial inventions to pay any attention to his family life. This cost him his marriage. Sakichi Toyoda’s wife left home, and his newborn son Kiichiro, who would create the Toyota miracle, was separated from his mother. While Sakichi devoted himself to his inventions, he also wanted to contribute to his son Kiichiro’s future. Young Kiichiro first graduated from Tokyo Imperial University in 1920 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He then spent a short time as a student at the same university’s law school. Like his father, young Kiichiro showed an interest in travel and traveled to the USA, England, France and China between 1921-1922.

He went on this trip for his father’s profession, weaving technology. Then he prepared for a second trip that coincided with the Great Depression in 1929-1930. He witnessed gasoline-powered engine technology during this trip that included Europe and the USA. 1930 was actually a bad period not only for the global economy but also for the Toyoda family. Sakichi Toyoda, who spent 63 years inventing, passed away in the fall of 1930 and was succeeded by his young son Kiichiro. Kiichiro’s first step was the transformation of heavy industry. Kiichiro, who also followed the steel sector closely, founded Toyoda Automatic Loom Works.

Focusing on the automotive industry with the encouragement of Japan, which came face to face with China due to the Manchuria issue in 1932, Kiichiro first produced an engine for the A1 model car and then for the G1 truck in 1935. Toyota, which produced its first vehicle in 1936, experienced its first major crisis after the Second World War, when Japan was defeated. It came to the brink of bankruptcy by the end of 1949. In June 1950, when the company produced only 300 trucks, it began to be voiced in the public that it was about to say goodbye to the sector. Japan, which was experiencing a collapse, was inadequate in combating rapidly increasing inflation. Strikes increased, workers' wages decreased. Until another war; the Korean War...

In the early stages of the Korean War, the order for 5 thousand vehicles from the US army gave Toyota a sigh of relief. The difficult geographical conditions in the war, which began with North Korea's invasion of the South in 1950, created a need for small-sized off-road vehicles. This vehicle was known today as the Land Cruiser. Designed in 1950, this off-road vehicle had features suitable for the geography of Korea. The first prototype production was made in the first month of 1951, and the vehicle that was the ancestor of the Land Cruiser was called the Toyota Jeep BJ. Another detail is that the tender opened by the USA was actually won by the American Willys Jeep. The Jeep BJ developed by Toyota stood out thanks to its advantages. Kiichiro Toyota died in 1952 at the age of 57, at the beginning of these orders, in other words, the return.

Toyota is not remembered for its looms today. Toyota, which has become the largest automotive company in the world, also shows itself in areas such as finance. Toyota, the owner of Lexus, Ranz, Daihatsu, Denso, Hino, is known as the power of Japan with assets exceeding 800 billion dollars and nearly 400 thousand employees.

Toyota's founder Kiichiro had a lucky father. He gave him the chance to know the world. Kiichiro’s father Sakichi Toyoda used to say, “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, I have seen more failures than successes.” Toyota was founded on this entrepreneurship and became the world’s largest brand in its field. Let’s not forget; the birthplace of both Sakichi and his son Kiichiro Toyoda is the headquarters of the Toyota company today. This city, known as Koromo in Aichi at the time, is now known as Toyota. Both because of the love for Toyota and the respect for its founder Sakichi.

Pythagoras was the first scientist to say that the world was round. This theory, which was believed to be flat for centuries, was proven with concrete evidence by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who managed to circumnavigate the world between 1519-1522. However, wasn’t the globe on the shoulder of Atlas, the Titan of the sky in ancient Greece, the world itself? It seems a bit strange that it was believed to be flat until Magellan. While we are on the subject of Atlas, who shoulders the sky, it is mentioned in myths that this Titan and his wife Pleione had two daughters. The most notable of these was the Pleiades. The seven fairy sisters, named after the ‘Daughters of Pleione’, were believed to be the companions of Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, in ancient times. These bright fairies of the sky have also inspired world-famous brands and names. The Persians call her Pervin, the Hindus Krttika, reminiscent of the war god Kartikeya, the Celts call her Twr, the Irish call her Streollin, the Arabs call her Süreyya, the Chinese call her Mao, and the Japanese call her Subaru.