Yutaka Katayama was born Yutaka Asoh. His dad was an important and wealthy man who traveled often, always taking his entire family (and their maids) with him to each business post. Accordingly, the Asoh family needed personal transportation, which was a rarity among individuals in Japan during the 1920s and 30s.
The two cars young Yutaka remembered were his family's two American-made sedans, the Erskine automobile and their Star Durant. The Erskine was a short wheelbase, lightweight (sort of) sedan made by Studebaker. It was successful in racing circles when prepped by enthusiasts. Young Yutaka was thrilled by its performance.
A six-cylinder Star Durant was the Asoh family' other car, which was also a strong performer.
Both cars were artillery-wheeled sedans which we might consider "lumber wagons" by today's standards, but during the 1920s and 30s, Japan had very few personal cars on the roadways, so anything with a little pep would excite a young mind into wanting to build even more-dedicated speedsters......such as the Roadster and 240Z.
When Yutaka married Masako Katayama he took her family's name, since her family had no males to carry on their lineage and Yutaka had other brothers to carry on the Asoh family name. Such things were common in Japan. Many other notable Japanese men with whom we are familiar today also changed their family name when they married.
Here's some interesting background on this matter:
* * * * * * * * * *
"Renown as Nissan's founding father in America, Yutaka Katayama is responsible for the success of Datsun in North America. The man known to all as Mr. K is considered the father of the Z- car for his involvement in developing a sports car for the US market that became the Datsun 240Z. He also helped build Nissan’s storied reputation in motorsports, having pushed for racing programs that built a strong following. Yutaka Katayama, Mr. K, is the one that made it all happen.
Yutaka Katayama was born Yutaka Asoh on September 15, 1909. He married Masako Katayama in 1937. Since she had no brothers to carry on the family name and he had two brothers to carry on the Asoh name, he decided to take on her family name, Katayama.
Young Yutaka’s father had several automobiles prior to World War II, so the boy grew up around classic cars. After the war ended Yutaka had a deep desire to find a classic car; some say he became obsessed with finding one. He loved cars so much that in 1951 he started the first Japanese car club after the war; it was called the Sports Car Club of Japan".
| Attachments: |
|
File comment: Our Hero 104-year-old Yutaka Asoh Katayama.jpg [ 6.83 KiB | Viewed 2614 times ] |
|
1928-studebaker-erskine.jpg [ 36.98 KiB | Viewed 2614 times ] |
|
Durant Star road rocket.jpg [ 165.65 KiB | Viewed 2614 times ] |