Roland Corporation was founded on April 18, 1972, in Osaka, Japan, by Ikutaro Kakehashi, who established the company with a capital stock of 33 million yen and released its first products as rhythm machines. The company soon built its Hamamatsu factory and grew into a global leader in electronic musical instruments, maintaining a museum of vintage synthesizers, drums, and other innovations at its R&D Center in Hamamatsu that informs ongoing development.
