This gallant little Kobe Kogyo KT-75 was manufactured in Japan circa 1960. It measures just 2 ¼” X 3” X 1”. It reminds me of a lighter and could easily be lost down the back of a couch. It is deepest darkest black with gold and silver trim. It features a fantastic looking escutcheon that appears to have been inspired by a United States Air Force badge of the late 1950’s. Pin this beauty on your chest Lieutenant!
In 1953 Kobe Kogyo became the first Japanese company to produce a transistor after licensing the technology from Bell Labs for a whopping $25000 USD! Two years later Totsuku (as SONY was known at the time) produced Japans first transistor radio and went on to become the worlds leading consumer electronics manufacturer. In contrast Kobe Kogyo’s fortunes took a dive in the early sixties when due to poor management they slid into the red and were absorbed into Fujitsu Ten never to be seen again….
But before that unfortunate episode they went on to produce some of the best looking Japanese radios. God bless them!!
This Kobe Kogyo comes complete with its original gift box, cardboard insert, leather case, earphone case and an old white Eveready 9V battery. The gift box for this KT-75 is one of the coolest ones around, featuring a nifty atomic age design on a silver background; quantum!
Looking inside you can see the (Fujitsu) “Ten” brand speaker and the seven “Ten” brand transistors. Interestingly the “Ten” comes from a Chinese character Ten(天) that means heaven in Chinese and Japanese, not the number 10.
