Princess Piano

[anonymousinquirys]

Well it seems that there has never actually been an actual page just for the Princess Piano. I know an old lady who has one of these and claims it was the only one in the United States when she got it back in 1938..
Here is the story:

I noticed this Princess Piano when we visited her and it was very intriguing to me, so i asked her the history of it... She told me the story of her father, who was a traveling salesman, and also very wealthy at the time.... and how he came to get it for her when she was 8 years of age. There used to be a huge company in Dallas, Texas, US... back in the 1930's called Sanger Brothers... It was a huge building right in the middle of downtown Dallas. Every year at Christmas there was a Santa Claus in the window rocking back and forth in a rocking chair, Mrs. Claus standing next to him, and all the elves. The piano was just sitting in the background for stage props. This display was right in the middle of the window for everyone to see as they passed by. After the piano had been in the window for around 3 years, the little old lady's father went to the owner of the store, who he was already friends with and worked out a deal to somehow purchase this piano for her. The piano played perfectly and sounded perfect due to the fact it was a real little piano. He wanted to buy it for her because she took piano and he couldn't find anything small enough that was worth anything. The owner told him that it was from England, and it was the only one in the United States... and that there was only 1 or 2 ever made. She got it in 1938. The sad part of the story is that her father left her and her mother after that and she never saw him again... that princess piano is the only thing her dad ever gave her, and that is all she had to remember him by...

I asked her if I could examine it and take some pictures. So this is what I got off the piano:

PRINCESS PIANO
SOLE AGENTS
L.H.H. INC. N.Y.
JAPAN

All the patent numbers reading:
PATENT No. 104957. 171019.
PATENT APPLIED FOR
No. 10512, 10533, 28770.

A made in Japan Sticker next to that.

The numbers 297 carved on the inside & and 1297 on the back of the piano

But the most fascinating one of all is the KK TRADEMARK logo. The artwork and the symbols all across the logo are no accident.. 8 golden circles on each side of the logo, all with detailed oriental pictures and writing.. I really observed it carefully and it is beautiful... Somebody put a lot of detail in to it for some reason.

The only reason i found this site is because i googled the first set of patent numbers and only one article in the entire world popped up and it led me to this site. So somebody else out there knows something about this at least... and their stories confirm that there were only supposed to be just a few ever made in the whole world...

How is that for interesting?

Please if anyone out there has information, even old information... please let us collectively put it all together on this one page! I know there are scattered details lying around about this mystery. Let's do some research together and see what we can find. I will forever be a part of this forum..

[anonymousinquirys]

Here is a pic of the patent numbers:

[anonymousinquirys]

Here is the Princess Piano Logo:

[anonymousinquirys]

Here

[anonymousinquirys]

This is beautiful...look at it real close

[anonymousinquirys]

here

[anonymousinquirys]

here

[anonymousinquirys]

here

[anonymousinquirys]

here

[anonymousinquirys]

here

[Pianomate]

I've never seen one of these before (though I have heard about them).

I presume they were more of a novelty item than a serious instrument.

[joe]

Seen similar pianos over the years and they where both made by Kawai a little later in the fifties.Bichord pianos are still available today would not think its of great value,but case decoration looks nicely done which may increase its value to the novelty hunter.

[anonymousinquirys]

after researching Japanese trademark symbols and patent nos i came up with something very interesting...which would confirm that it had to have something to do with KAWAI from Japan... take a look at these symbols...

[anonymousinquirys]

compared with the KK TRADE MARK on the Princess Piano... it is the same design around the KK but that is all, the continuing design on the Princess Piano is way more detailed.. but i still can't find that entilre KK design on any trademark sites ... can anyone help? i will keep researching..

[anonymousinquirys]

I also went to the Jap patent website and entered the Patent No. 104957 & 171019 and found a bunch of Japanese writing BUT also what looked like pictures of the actual soundboard from this rare princess piano...the site was.. http://www.ipdl.inpit.go.jp/homepg_e.ipdl

[anonymousinquirys]

another one

[anonymousinquirys]

after confirming the kk trademark pics, i did a search on kawai, which led to to their websites, which led to to learning the history of Kawai. Which is as follows:

ORIGINS

Kawai Musical Instrument Manufacturing Co. was founded by Koichi Kawai. The son of a wagon maker, born in Hamamatsu, Japan, in 1886, Koichi displayed an inventive spirit in his early years. As a youngster he made his own pedal-driven cart and caught the attention of a neighbor, a watchmaker by training who was forced to repair medical equipment to make a living and by chance was enlisted to repair a U.S. reed organ. In 1889 the neighbor launched his own organ manufacturing company, but as the upright piano began to supplant the reed organ in the marketplace, he turned his attention to the development of his own piano using imported parts. It was during this struggle to build a piano that he spied 12-year-old Koichi Kawai riding his pedal contraption. The neighbor's name was Torakusu Yamaha, remembered today as one of the pioneers of the piano industry. He took Kawai under his wing, making him his apprentice, and during the initial decades of the 1900s Kawai played a key role in the research and development efforts of Yamaha's Nippon Gakki Co., which resulted in pianos that won numerous international awards.

Koichi Kawai soon produced a breakthrough, becoming the first Japanese piano maker to design and build a piano action. Prior to then, Japanese piano makers had to import piano actions from the United States or Germany. By making his own action, Kawai would be able to competitively price his pianos. A year after building the action, Kawai began producing upright pianos. Eighteen months later, he completed his first grand piano. In 1929 the company changed its name to Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co. Its corporate structure was expanded to partnership status in 1935, and the company took the name of Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing, Ltd. In 1930 the company also began to produce reed organs.

PIANO PRODUCTION RESUMES AFTER WORLD WAR II

Japan's economy went on a war footing in 1937 as Japan invaded China, a conflict that began the country's involvement in what would escalate into World War II. Until the end of the war in 1945, Kawai factories produced aircraft parts instead of pianos and organs. With much of Japan's infrastructure devastated, it wasn't until 1948 that Kawai could resume the production of pianos and organs. Within a few years the company was thriving once again, turning out more than 1,500 pianos per year and employing 500 people. The company was incorporated in Japan in May 1951 and took its present name. Kawai built his first concert grand piano in 1952, and his efforts in the field were recognized a year later when he was awarded the Blue Ribbon Medal of Honor from the Emperor, the first person in the piano industry to be recognized. Two years later, in October 1955, Koichi Kawai passed away at the age of 70.

Kawai's 33-year-old son, Shigeru Kawai, took charge of the company his father had founded and transformed it into a contemporary enterprise, combining his father's handcraftsmanship with modern manufacturing techniques. He established the Arai lumber processing plant in 1957 to supply materials to a new piano assembly plant, which opened four years later and featured a truly modern production line for the first time in company history. While increasing production capacity, Shigeru Kawai took steps to build demand for the company's output. In 1956 he launched the company's music education program, establishing a chain of Kawai Music schools, and to staff them with qualified teachers he began the Kawai Academy of Music. The company developed a door-to-door sales program to push piano lessons and generate piano sales, and within a few years some 2,000 sales representatives combed the country and more than 300,000 Japanese were enrolled in Kawai music schools. To make sure that the pianos the company sold would be used and enjoyed by its customers, Kawai also founded the Kawai Piano Technical Center, which trained technicians to tune and service pianos. In 1959 Kawai became involved in the direct retailing of pianos by opening its own stores, which in addition to selling pianos also serviced them.




after reading that, it would seem as if these princess pianos were probably made by the founder Koichi Kawai himself when he first started the business. If that is the case than they are an original. I am still doing research and have also sent an email to the jap headquarters of Kawai to see if they can help. But Koichi's descendants might be the only ones who can fill in the blanks. But this still doesn't answer the question about what SOLE AGENTS L.H.H. INC.NY was, and how they were tied to Japan.

[vernon]

If you send the "bunch of japanese writing" to info@anchorenglish.co.uk he'll translate it for you cheap-mention me!

[lstp]

We just bought one of these piano in september, in the USA.
I live in Canada, and my husband refurnished it, because it was painted. He scraped it, but he started by stripping it and he realized to late that it was not the right way when he saw the 2 ''KK'' and the cents painted, he stopped right away but we have the rest ''PRINCESS PiANO'' and everythong else !
I did the same to find this page ! posting the patent number !
The funniest part is when we bought it , everybody(antique dealers), and particularly one antique dealer who knows a lot in music, he is selling music instruments for over 45 years ! and the first thing he said when we asked him about it is : ''it doesn't worth nothing it is just a ''Schoenhut'' ''! Funny don't you think ! He didn't even want to see it ! And it is a very good friend of ours not just someone we just met !
We are doing a show next week here in Canada and it will be displaid ! We showed it to an antique dealer here and nobody ever saw a beautiful piano like this before ! A lot of toys but never a real one !
We are very proud of it ! He is just like your pictures !
It is not really for sell for now !
I am looking forward to ''show'' it ! and telling your story and what you wrote about it !
Thank you
LSTP

[walt500]

I have a Princess Piano (St. Louis, MO area) identical to the one shown in the pictures. I believe they are very rare since I can find no dealer who has ever seen one. I got a bid of $300 for it, a joke, since I suspect my father paid more than that for it in 1935. Any idea what it might be worth???

[Bill Kibby]

I have some brief notes at...
http://pianogen.org/numbers.html
and action diagrams of the Bristol at
http://pianogen.org/actions.html

Nobody can tell you the value of a piano without inspecting it and testing the tuning pins.

[Lovethepiano]

Thanks to those assisting on this site. It was quite helpful to learn about the little Princess Piano I was fortunate enough to find recently. I am in Oregon.

These seem very much to be family heirlooms. Mine had belonged to its owner's grandmother as a child. I am as delighted as my granddaughter with it. She jumped up and down with joy, laughing and singing as she played.

It looks as though the felts have never been replaced, so we will proceed to make it more playable, but other than that, even the damper pedal works.

I collect antique marbles. I have been to lots of antique stores and shows, including the 2nd largest in the country (several times), and have never seen one of these pianos for sale or otherwise. So, although we are finding a few through this site, I'm sure there are not many still around.

I would encourage anyone who has a 1930's Princess Piano (by Kawai, Japan) to leave a note for the interest of piano historians. Meanwhile, I'm going to go play
this fabulous little piano.

[Mweckhardt]

I came upon all these posts today researching the provenance of my Princess Piano
It is a family heirloom that was purchased sometime in the early 1930's. I played chopsticks on it when I was 7! My grandparents were well to do at the time and probably purchased it for my father or his younger sister.

Thank you all for any info you can share with me on this little treasure.

[Gill the Piano]

We'll need a serial number and (preferably) a picture before we can offer you any information!

[Bill Kibby]

They cannot be dated reliably by numbers. Some information may be found at
http://pianogen.org/numbers.html

[rocklandpiano]

Sparkling tone, enchanting design! This classic upright style piano is a perfect piano for little players, with a stable design for use on floor or tabletop. Precision-crafted tone bars for great sound. Pretty pink finish with princess design accents.

[Bill Kibby]

I don't know what you mean by tone bars, but this is not a table-top model!

[NewAge]

I don't know what you mean by tone bars, but this is not a table-top model!

Bill,
It has become obvious that the poster that you just answered is an internet troll, and not a particular astute one either. Practically all of his/her posts are copied/pasted from elsewhere on the internet. The last 'information' provided comes from the product description of a pink $60 kids toy piano http://www.fao.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4082042, which bears no relevance to the subject Kawai Princess piano under discussion.
Apologies if I've unnecessarily just 'fed the troll'.

[Bill Kibby]

It is all a mystery to me what that can achieve to justify the effort, since there are no links on the posting. How sad that some people have nothing better to do with their lives!

[Lovethepiano]

I wrote to the Kawai company, and sent photos of the Princess Piano, including the logos. Here is the reply I received. Hope it helps:

Dear Raelyn,

We are sorry to have kept you waiting.

Thank you for showing photos. Now we understand what you are questioning.
We still are not sure about “Princess” brand since we have no record remained.
However, it seems that a manufacturer of the piano is our company knowing from printings in the piano.

Before the World War II, Miniature Piano which has unique cabinet design and action mechanism was designed by Koichi Kawai, our company’s founder.

Even though materials were scarse and in short after the world war II,
Koichi Kawai remained enthusiastic about producing a piano that offered both high quality and affordable price.
In addition, he would like to convey his engineering technique and skill of piano design to the company by resume manufacturing these miniature pianos.
Several types of miniature pianos were designed. Miniature Pianos were produced for one year and about 100 units were built monthly in those days.

We assume that the piano you inquired was one of those miniature pianos.

We hope the above information,

Best regards,

Ryota Tanaka
Overseas Business Division
Kawai Musical Inst. Mfg. Co., Ltd.

[Screenery]

I am looking to buy a Kawai Princess Piano. If you have one for sale, please email me at Screenery[AT]gmail[DOT]com.

Thank you,
Mitchell