Shunsaku Tamiya
Shunsaku Tamiya | |
|---|---|
田宮俊作 | |
 Tamiya at a hobby show in 2003 | |
| Born | December 19, 1934 |
| Died | July 18, 2025 (aged 90) |
| Education | Waseda University |
| Occupation | Business executive |
| Organization | Tamiya Corporation |
Shunsaku Tamiya (Japanese: 田宮俊作; December 19, 1934 – July 18, 2025) was a Japanese business executive. He was chairman of the board and representative director of the Tamiya Corporation, a major Japanese plastic model producer.
Biography
Shunsaku Tamiya was born on December 19, 1934,[1] in Shizuoka. He graduated from the Shizuoka Prefectural High School and Waseda University.[2]
Tamiya took over what had originally been his father's sawmill business and made it into one of the largest radio-controlled car and scale model kit manufacturers in the world. Tamiya was known for his pursuit of accuracy in his scale models.[3] He personally photographed and collected full-sized subjects to recreate as models.[4] The first Tamiya plastic model kit was based on the Jaguar D-Type.[4] In the 1970s, Tamiya released its first radio-controlled car, a model of the Porsche 934.[4] In the 1980s, Shunsaku Tamiya led the company through a surge in the popularity of radio-controlled car racing as a competitive motorsport.[4] In 1982, the company developed its first Mini 4WD models, which became very popular in Japan.[4] During the Cold War, he was placed under surveillance by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Public Security Bureau for seeking information about Warsaw Pact tanks at the embassy of the Soviet Union in Tokyo.[3]
As the chairman of the Shizuoka Model & Educational Cooperative Association, Tamiya helped turn the city of Shizuoka into a major city in the global model industry through initiatives such as the Shizuoka Hobby Show.[1] He died on July 18, 2025, at the age of 90.[3]
References
- ^ a b "Announcement regarding the Passing of Shunsaku Tamiya" (PDF). Tamiya Corporation. July 22, 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 26, 2025. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
- ^ 日本テレビ. "【訃報】世界的模型メーカー｢タミヤ｣の田宮俊作・代表取締役会長(90)が死去（静岡市）｜日テレNEWS NNN" [[Obituary] Shunsaku Tamiya, chairman of the board of directors (90) of the world-class model manufacturer "Tamiya", dies (Shizuoka City)]. 日テレNEWS NNN (in Japanese). Archived from the original on July 22, 2025. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
- ^ a b c Martin Fackler; Kiuko Notoya (July 25, 2025). "Shunsaku Tamiya, Who Brought Perfection to Plastic Replica Models, Dies at 90". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 27, 2025. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Vieira, Peter (July 30, 2025). "How Shunsaku Tamiya Made His Namesake Plastic Model Company 'First In Quality Around The World'". The Autopian. Archived from the original on July 30, 2025. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
External links
- Memorial page at Tamiya USA