Olympus History

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VOL.1  Mt.Olympus- the mountain where gods and goddesses live VOL.2  History of Our Corporate Logo

In Greek mythology, Mt.Olympus is the home of the twelve supreme gods and goddesses. Olympus was named after this mountain to reflect its strong aspiration to create high quality, world famous products.

Mt.Olympus ©Greek National Tourism Organisation

"Olympus" has been used as a trademark since the time of Takachiho Seisakusho, the predecessor of Olympus Corporation. In Japanese mythology, it is said that eight million gods and goddesses live in Takamagahara, the peak of Mt.Takachiho. The name "Olympus" was selected as the trademark because Mt.Olympus, like Mt.Takachiho, was the home of gods and goddesses. This trademark is also imbued with the aspiration of Olympus to illuminate the world with its optical devices, just like Takamagahara brought light to the world. Takachiho Seisakusho was renamed Takachiho Optical Co., Ltd. in 1942 when optical products became the mainstay of the company. In 1949, the name was changed again to Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. in an attempt to enhance its corporate image. And in 2003, the company made a fresh start as Olympus Corporation, to show its willingness to establish a dynamic corporate brand by unifying the corporate name and the well-known brand. In recent years, Olympus Corporation has focused on "Opto-Digital Technology" as its core competence, technological strengths that competitors cannot easily imitate, to maximize corporate value and to become one of the top optical instrument manufactures.

History of corporate names

Date Notes October 12, 1919 Establishment of Takachiho Seisakusho by Takeshi Yamashita, the founder. Founder: Takeshi Yamashita May 28, 1942 Renamed Takachiho Optical Co., Ltd. January 1, 1949 Renamed Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. October 1, 2003 Renamed Olympus Corporation

Takachiho Peak (Miyazaki Prefecture)

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