TOTO (Tokyo Overdue) is the leading bathroom brand. It is established in 1917 and is well known for producing the Washlet and related products. The company is currently based in Kitakyushu, Japan, and has manufacturing facilities in nine other countries. It has recently expanded into other areas such as China. The brand was created by a man named Kintaro Hattori. In order to understand exactly how TOTO came to be, it is important to understand the roles of the different players that made it grow.
The major player in TOTO was its competitor WETTO. Both companies wanted to produce a superior product, but they had different views on how to achieve this. WETTO wanted to make a cheaper and less efficient Japanese toilet seat. The competition, or to some, was not satisfied with this idea, so they decided to develop their own. It was hoped that by using a standard Japanese toilet seat, it would be easier to distinguish between the toto and the WETTO toilet seats.
The third major player in TOTO was Daisuke Ito. He was a renowned designer, especially in the field of household equipment. His designs for the washers and bidets were some of the most innovative he had ever worked on. Because his designs ran counter to the traditional views of the toilet, it was important that he be held in high regard. He held over 50 patents for his work.
After Daisuke Ito, TOTO needed someone to come up with the innovative idea of spraying the washlets and bidets. His assistant, Minoru Mochizuki, came up with the innovative idea. He introduced what is called the “spray valve” which prevented the spray from seeping into the wash basin.
Later, in the 1970’s, TOTO was hit with the lawsuit brought against them for manufacturing a non-functioning bidet. After much confusion and argument, the lawsuits were settled out of court. In lieu of a verdict, TOTO offered to repair the washlets for free. Because of their low cost, the lawsuits ultimately failed. TOTO also felt that because the suits were “meritless”, it was pointless to pursue the matter any further.
There are a large number of consumers who use toto spares in Japan. Many manufacturers now offer toto spares and washlets for a low price on the Internet. You can find almost new toto spares and even some used washlets for sale on eBay. Most of the time, toto wavelets can be found in good condition.