Neon,
Electric Store,
Electric Works

01 NamesThree names

In 1955, Kozo Yamada founded the Yamada Neon company. In the employees column of the timeline, the figure is two. The company later changed its name to Yamada Denki Shokai (Yamada Electric Store) and moved to Takanedai, Funabashi.

In 1978, it moved to Matsugaoka 2-chome, Funabashi. The timeline records that in this year the company became a subcontractor for electrical work in housing developments. There were three employees. The following year, 1979, Kozo Yamada passed away, and his wife, Emiko Yamada, took over the business. The timeline gives each year a two-character heading: 1955 is “Founding”, 1965 is “Rename”, and 1979 is “Ordeal”.

In 1981, Takane Electric Co., Ltd. was incorporated, with capital of JPY 3 million. Emiko Yamada became Representative Director and Takashi Murakami Senior Managing Director, and in the same year the company applied for and registered its construction business licence. By then it had five employees.

02 MatsugaokaMatsugaoka 4-chome

In 1983, the company moved to 4-1-28 Matsugaoka to build a new head office. It is the head office’s address today. In 1990, Takashi Murakami became Representative Director; there were ten employees. In 1992 the capital was raised to JPY 10 million, and by 1993, when the head office building was rebuilt, there were 13.

Alongside the company’s events, the timeline also lists “the annual staff trip”. In 1996 it went to Hokkaido. The heading for that year is “Steady Progress”. In 2004 the number of employees reached 15. In 2012 the construction business licence was changed from General to Specified, and the capital was raised to JPY 20 million. There were 20 employees.

03 WordsSomething you can see

In 2018, Takashi Murakami became Chair of the Board, and Yumiko Murakami succeeded him as Representative Director.

The company brochure produced in 2020 sets out comments from the section managers. Yuji Murakami, then Section Manager of Regional Section 1 and now Director, wrote about electrical work like this:

“Electricity itself can’t be seen, but the moment you turn on the switch after the work, everything lights up and it becomes something you can see.”

The next sentence is short.

“It’s a warm sense of achievement that’s hard to put into words.”

In the same brochure, Yuji Murakami also wrote that it is a workplace without walls between senior and junior staff, where everyone can talk together after work.

On the same page, the Section Manager of Regional Section 2 recalled words from the Chair, a former colleague on site: “Think of yourself as the president.” The section manager remembers them as a call for each person to become a skilled worker who can deal with things alone, without relying on others.

04 MilestonesThe ceremony, at the office

In 2020, the company signed a sponsorship agreement with FAB Sports Academy, a basketball club.

On 29 October 2021, the conferment ceremony for the Konju Hosho (Medal with Dark Blue Ribbon) was held at Takane Electric’s office. The medal is awarded for donating private funds for the public good. The following month, to mark the 40th anniversary of the company’s incorporation, each employee was handed a commemorative gift and red-and-white celebration buns, and told their length of service.

In 2025, the company held a celebration of its 70th anniversary at Hotel Springs Makuhari, attended by guests, partner companies and employees’ families. In the same year, Takuhiro Murakami became Representative Director, with his elder brother Yuji alongside him as Director.

For each year with an event, the timeline gives the number of employees. 2, 3, 5, 10, 13, 15, 20. In the column for 2020, the figure is 30.