Yasui Kanekichi, father of Yasui Masayoshi and Jitsuichi (the founders of Brother Industries, Ltd.) established a sewing machine repair business in 1908, known as "Yasui Sewing Machine Co.".
Subsequently, Masayoshi took over the business and manufactured the hydraulic machine for manufacturing straw hats, as the first step towards his aim of kickstarting the sewing machine industry. The product quality was highly regarded by straw hat makers.