Mazda Motor Corporation

Automotive ManufacturingFounded 1920- HQ today: Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan

Founders

Who Founded Mazda?

Jujiro Matsuda, Kenichi Yamamoto · Founded 1920 · HQ today: Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan

Who founded Mazda?

Mazda was founded by Jujiro Matsuda, Kenichi Yamamoto in 1920. It is now led by Masahiro Moro.

Founders: Jujiro Matsuda, Kenichi Yamamoto
Founded: 1920
Headquarters: Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan
Number of founders: 2
Current CEO: Masahiro Moro (since 2023)

Where was Mazda founded?: Mazda was founded in Hiroshima, Japan in 1920.
When was Mazda founded?: Mazda was founded in 1920.
Who started Mazda?: Mazda was founded by Jujiro Matsuda and Kenichi Yamamoto.
How old is Mazda?: Mazda is 106 years old as of 2026.

Founding Story

Mazda was founded in 1920 by Jujiro Matsuda in Hiroshima. When the atomic bomb destroyed much of the city in 1945, the Mazda factory survived because it stood outside the blast zone and was shielded by Hijiyama hill. The company turned the plant into a makeshift hospital and refugee center and used its three-wheeled trucks to distribute food and medical supplies. That role in rebuilding Hiroshima remains part of how the company sees itself.

Jujiro Matsuda

Background

Japanese industrialist and blacksmith.

Role at Mazda Motor Corporation

Jujiro Matsuda founded the company (originally Toyo Cork Kogyo) in 1920 in Hiroshima. He rescued a failing artificial cork manufacturing business and aggressively pivoted it into machine tools and eventually three-wheeled autorickshaws (the Mazda-Go). He famously survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 and immediately ordered the company to begin rebuilding the city using its remaining factories.

Jujiro Matsuda was born in 1875.

Matsuda was born on August 6, 1875 and died on March 27, 1952. He was an inventor and machinist as well as an industrialist.

Kenichi Yamamoto

Background

Japanese automotive engineer.

Role at Mazda Motor Corporation

Kenichi Yamamoto is widely considered the 'father of the rotary engine.' While not the original founder, he was the absolute driving engineering force that convinced Mazda to bet the entire company's survival on the highly experimental Wankel rotary engine in the 1960s, completely defining Mazda's unique, contrarian engineering culture for decades. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).

Mazda Motor Corporation: CEO & Leadership History

Full timeline →

Masahiro Moro

Representative Director, President & CEO

2023 – Present

As CEO, he navigated the massive, systemic crisis of Mazda's extreme delay in EV development by aggressively focusing on the highly lucrative North American market to generate the cash needed for survival.

Akira Marumoto

Representative Director, President and CEO

2018 – 2023

Serving as CEO from 2018 to 2023, he guided Mazda through the catastrophic semiconductor shortage, completely abandoning massive sales volume targets to focus entirely on per-unit profitability.

Takashi Yamanouchi

President and Chief Executive Officer

2008 – 2013

He launched the Skyactiv technology programme. Masamichi Kogai succeeded him in 2013.

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Who Founded Mazda? FAQ

Who founded Mazda and what was the company's original business?

Mazda was founded on January 30, 1920, in Hiroshima, Japan, by Jujiro Matsuda as Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., initially manufacturing compressed cork sheets used for industrial bottle gaskets and insulation.

Who was Jujiro Matsuda and what was his entrepreneurial journey?

Born in Hiroshima in 1875, Jujiro Matsuda was a blacksmith's apprentice and mechanical inventor who patented pump designs in Osaka before returning to Hiroshima in 1920 to take over Toyo Cork Kogyo, converting it into a precision machinery and vehicle manufacturer.

What was the 'Mazda-Go' three-wheeled truck introduced in 1931?

In 1931, Toyo Kogyo produced its first motorized vehicle: the 'Mazda-Go' (Type DA), an innovative three-wheeled open cargo truck powered by a 482cc single-cylinder air-cooled engine with motorcycle handlebars, which became an essential transport workhorse across Japan.

What is the origin of the brand name 'Mazda'?

The name 'Mazda' was derived from Ahura Mazda, the ancient Zoroastrian god of light, wisdom, and harmony, symbolizing the dawn of modern automotive civilization, while phonetically honoring founder Jujiro Matsuda's surname.

How did the Mazda factory survive the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945?

On August 6, 1945, when the atomic bomb detonated over Hiroshima, the Toyo Kogyo factory complex (located 5.3 km east behind Mount Ogonzan) suffered only minor damage. Founder Jujiro Matsuda immediately opened the factory as an emergency hospital and civic administration center for Hiroshima's survivors.

Who was Tsuneji Matsuda and how did he enter the rotary engine agreement in 1961?

Tsuneji Matsuda (son of Jujiro Matsuda) became President in 1951. Recognizing that Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) planned to consolidate small automakers into Toyota and Nissan, Matsuda boldly licensed the rotary engine from Germany's NSU/Wankel in 1961 to guarantee Mazda's independent survival.

Who were the well-known '47 Ronin' engineers of Mazda?

Led by chief engineer Kenichi Yamamoto, the '47 Ronin' were a dedicated group of 47 Mazda engineers who worked tirelessly in the 1960s to solve the 'Devil's Nails' (chatter marks scratching the rotor housing), inventing cross-carbon apex seals to commercialize the rotary engine.

What was the landmark 1967 Mazda Cosmo Sport 110S?

Introduced on May 30, 1967, the Mazda Cosmo Sport 110S was the world's first dual-rotor rotary-powered production sports car. Featuring futuristic spacecraft styling and a twin-rotor engine producing 110 hp, it established Mazda's international reputation for high-tech performance.

Why is it called Mazda?

The company was founded by Jujiro Matsuda. While "Mazda" sounds like a Westernized pronunciation of his last name, it was actually deliberately chosen for deeply spiritual reasons. Matsuda had a profound interest in spirituality and named the company after "Ahura Mazda," the ancient Zoroastrian god of light, wisdom, and harmony, hoping the brand would brighten the massive darkness of pre-war industrial Japan.

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Core profile pages, founders and related research hubs for this company.

Who founded Mazda?

Founding Story

Jujiro Matsuda

Background

Role at Mazda Motor Corporation

Kenichi Yamamoto

Background

Role at Mazda Motor Corporation

Mazda Motor Corporation: CEO & Leadership History

Compare Mazda Motor Corporation Leadership With Competitors

Keep researching Mazda

Who Founded Mazda? FAQ

Who founded Mazda and what was the company's original business?

Who was Jujiro Matsuda and what was his entrepreneurial journey?

What was the 'Mazda-Go' three-wheeled truck introduced in 1931?

What is the origin of the brand name 'Mazda'?

How did the Mazda factory survive the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945?

Who was Tsuneji Matsuda and how did he enter the rotary engine agreement in 1961?

Who were the well-known '47 Ronin' engineers of Mazda?

What was the landmark 1967 Mazda Cosmo Sport 110S?

Why is it called Mazda?

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