Sakichi Toyoda (1867-1930), "King of Japanese Inventors" and patriarch of the Toyota industrial group. His automatic loom, which stopped itself when a thread broke, embodied the principle of jidoka — automation with a human touch — that became one of TPS's two pillars. Sakichi's relentless experimentation and improvement of loom technology established the culture of invention and practical problem-solving that his son kiichiro-toyoda and later taiichi-ohno would channel into automobile manufacturing. The sale of Sakichi's automatic loom patents to the British company Platt Brothers in 1929 provided the capital that funded Toyota's move into automobiles. Sakichi's "five principles" (be contributive, be inventive, be practical, be respectful, be thankful) shaped Toyota's corporate culture and are considered precursors to TPS's emphasis on respect for people and continuous improvement. His life and legacy are covered in the toyoda-family-origins-1900-1937 era.