Ikutaro Kakehashi, the founder of electronic musical instruments maker Roland Corp., died Saturday, people close to him said Monday. He was 87.Born in 1930 in Osaka Prefecture, Kakehashi opened an electronics shop in Osaka in 1954 and began pursuing electronic instruments after he was asked by a church to repairing an electronic organ.In 1972, he established Roland in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, and developed instruments including electronic pianos and synthesizers.His contributions to the development and popularization of such instruments saw him leave his handprints and signature on t…READ FULL ARTICLE
