DISRAELI GEARS
I was only aware of the Maruishi brand of bicycles in the early to mid 1980s. At that time the bikes were very well finished, very tidily designed, models with nicely chosen, mid-range, Shimano and SunTour equipment. There were a lot of Japanese bicycle brands with exactly these virtues - but Maruishis were no less impressive for that.
Within Japan, I think that Maruishi was quite an important and venerable brand of bicycles, possibly manufactured by Maruishi Shokai Limited. Different web sites provide different information about the history of Maruishi. Some say it was established in Yokohama in 1894. Others have it established in 1909, possibly in Tokyo. Japan's Bicycle Guide '56 incudes an advert giving an address in a part of Osaka that is called Fukushima (not to be confused with the site of the famous nuclear accident) and claims 50 years' experience (this was in 1956). A company called Maruishi Cycle Co., Ltd operates a web site (www.maruishi-cycle.com) that gives a founding date of 1972. This level of complexity is not that unusual for bicycle brands - I can think of any number of British bicycle brands that, over the years, have been owned by many different companies based at many different addresses.
Maruishi are represented on this web site because, in the late 1950s and/or early 1960s, Sanko produce Maruishi branded versions of Sanko's, much admired, derailleur models. You can see some images here (the two Maruishi models shown at this link are the ones with the distinctive Maruishi circular logos).
see also Japan's Bicycle Guide '56 1956
see also Japan's Bicycle Guide '56 1956
see also US Patent # 3,732,787 - Maruishi 1971
see also US Patent # 3,732,787 - Maruishi 1971
see also Japanese Patent # S51-35936 - Maruishi 1974
see also Japanese Patent # S51-35936 - Maruishi 1974
see also Japanese Patent # S52-112932 - Sanyo 1976
see also Japanese Patent # S52-112932 - Sanyo 1976
see also Japanese Patent # S52-112933 - Sanyo 1976
see also Japanese Patent # S52-112933 - Sanyo 1976
see also US Patent # 4,065,983 - Maruishi 1976
see also US Patent # 4,065,983 - Maruishi 1976
see also Japanese Patent # S52-137836 - Sanyo 1976
see also Japanese Patent # S52-137836 - Sanyo 1976
see also Japanese Patent # S52-155738 - Sanyo 1976
see also Japanese Patent # S52-155738 - Sanyo 1976
see also Japanese Patent # S53-2842 - Sanyo 1976
see also Japanese Patent # S53-2842 - Sanyo 1976
see also Japanese Utility Model # S53-74845 - Sanyo 1976
see also Japanese Utility Model # S53-74845 - Sanyo 1976
see also Japanese Utility Model # S53-87558 - Sanyo 1976
see also Japanese Utility Model # S53-87558 - Sanyo 1976
see also US Patent # 4,143,557 - Sanyo 1977
see also US Patent # 4,143,557 - Sanyo 1977
see also New Cycling 05/1981 - Derailleur Collection
see also New Cycling 05/1981 - Derailleur Collection
