OUR STORY
In 1871, a clock design was granted U.S. Design Patent No. 4986. It was six years after the end of the American Civil War and three years after the Meiji Restoration in Japan. Interestingly, Alexander Graham Bell would not obtain his famous patent for the telephone until five years later, in 1876.
At that time, the United States was experiencing rapid industrial development, and innovations such as clocks and telephones symbolized a new technological era. One of the clocks covered by Design Patent No. 4986 eventually found its way to Japan and was displayed in an inn in Kagawa Prefecture, where it marked the passing of time for people living through the modernization of the Meiji period. This is the clock that has been passed down through the Yamauchi family.
As a junior high school student learning English, Yasunobu Yamauchi noticed the words “Patented Jun. 13, 1871” printed inside the clock case. Curious about the meaning of the word “patent,” he looked it up in a dictionary and became fascinated by the concept. That small discovery eventually led him into the world of intellectual property and the patent profession.
The clock itself is now more than 150 years old. Its mainspring is believed to have been hand-forged, and replacement parts are no longer available. Yet it continues to keep time today, filling our modern office with the same gentle chime that it produced generations ago.
The enduring quality of this clock has inspired a principle that guides our work: quality that continues to be valued over time. For this reason, the antique clock remains the symbol of our firm.
CONTACT
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