Square Piano by Rolfe, W

The oldest piano currently in Japan has been preserved by the Kumagaya family in Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. This piano was brought in by a doctor, Philipp Franz Balthasar von Siebold of the Netherlands, who came to Japan in 1823. It is a compact piano in the shape of a square table produced by William Rolfe & Sons of the UK around 1806, which Siebold reputedly donated to the Kumagaya family when he returned home in 1828.

With a wooden frame, this piano uses dual unison strings for each note. Of these, 52 pairs are of low-carbon iron wire, while five notes use brass wire and 11 use open windings over brass wires. This is very representative of the piano strings in use in Europe from the late 18th to the 19th century.

Photo Credit: Fraxinus2 Wikicommons