bloud 

There is a mystery myself and a few other collectors of vintage Japanese bicycles have been trying to solve. What does Y.F.C. stand for? It was/is most commonly referenced with Japanese Fujita saddles and toe straps, but can also be found on bags, saddle covers etc. I'm hoping someone here will know what this acronym stands for. It's literally been eating at me for years...

Here's an example product page of saddles featuring the Y.F.C designation.

Velognome 

Y.F.C. = Your favorite choice?


Next!

frantik

your fat cushion?

bloud 

oh boy, that's where this is headed!?

markk900

"Yearn For Copy"?

Gravity Aided

Your Fujita Conundrum.

rootboy 

Good question.

cb400bill

I wonder if it is the initials for something like this name I just made up: Yoshimura Fujita Company.

frantik

Well, it's no surprise, but you can buy a $250 high quality 100% plastic YFC saddle from BBC

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-YFC-...-/290800497884

ScottRyder 

I don't know the Y.F.C.

But I do know what Y.C.F. stands for (Yuko Cold Forged) found on the dropouts many early Fujis. That just adds to the confusion.

Good question Bloud, lot's of us want the answer!

Scott

bloud 

Seriously...

This is certainly a possibility, but I wonder why duplicate the name Fujita Saddle Company co. ltd. , Y.F.C. on products. There was also a mention of it possibly being a certain region in Japan.


He's quite famous for his out of this world prices. I got a black one I'd sell for $25. But white, that's SUPER rare and sought after...


I'm trying Scott, I'm trying...

vjp

I don't know what it stands for, but I do know that they are really nice saddles! I was given a N.O.S. brown leather padded butt saddle (Touring?) and it is really pretty. Just waiting for the right frame to put it on.

Maybe it stands for Your Frame Choice?

T-Mar

The Japanese had a fondness for short, anglicized brand names. This derives from the turn of the 20th century when Japanese bicycle industry was developing and the English bicycle was considered a superior product. Three letters were often used as three is a lucky number in Japan and would simplify the pronounciation, while retaining the English connection. Sometimes the chosen brands names were company initials. Sometimes they were a contraction of the company name. Sometimes there was no apparent connection. Some other familiar samples include:

H.K.K. chains - Hokoku Chain Mfg, Co. Ltd.
D.I.D. chains - Daido Kogyo Co. Ltd.
K.K.T. pedals - Kyokuto Mfg. Co. Ltd.
M.K.S. pedals - Mikashima Works Ltd.
I.N.I. gears cases - Osaka Case Co, Ltd.
M.S.S. spokes - Tsukibishi Spoke Mfg. Co. Ltd.
A.K.S. ball bearings - Amatsuji Steel Bal Mfg. Co. Ltd.
T.N.K. fenders - Towa Industries Ltd.
D.N.B. derailleurs and hubs - Dainihon Kikai Kogyo Co, Ltd.

In this case the proper company name was Fujita Saddle Mfg. Co. Ltd. The company goes back to 1906. The original leather saddles appear to have been marketed under the BELT brand name. When they started manufacturing plastic saddles in the 1960s, the YFC brand name appeared. I notice the subject catalogue page shows a couple YFC leather saddles. I suppose by that time the YFC brand name was more popular and BELT probably sounded inapporpriate for a market that now included English speaking contries. I believe they simply ended up going with Fujita as the popularity of Japanese bicycles and components took over in North America.

frantik

I wonder what's the deal with their fondness for X and two letter "quality level" designations.. ie LX, DX, XT, XC, etc.. Honda used the DX / LX / EX designations for their cars too. I imagine the letters are supposed to evoke words like "Luxury, Deluxe, Excellent, Extra" but still interesting imo..

T-Mar

I've always taken the X in derailleur designation to indicate "cross", as in different types of terrain. Basically, it's taken from the discipline of cyclocross. All the X designations seem to be for off-road derailleurs, which have cyclocross as their heritage. XT may mean cross terrain as it was Shimano's first dedicated off-road derailleur. XC probably simply means cross country.

Bikedued

I've often wondered about the Shimano 3.3.3. On a lot of the early to mid seventies parts. Three 3's must have been seriously lucky? I had also noticed a LOT of the suspension parts I bought for my first gen Mazda RX-7 were actually made in Japan, and some had a 5.5.5. logo.,,,,BD

T-Mar

The Shimano 333, SunTour 888 and Takagi 3 Arrows brands and trademarks were modeled after that of Britain's BSA bicycle brand, which was highly revered in Japan at the turn of the century.

rhm

You freaking care?

bloud 

Very good insights here. This may certainly help to create leads. I will have to look back at some of the older advertisements and see if any names pop-up that could fit the criteria for such naming convention. That's a bit like code breaking!



I have seen this and it is probably the most common use of YFC today. However, I'm pretty sure given the historic beliefs of most Asian cultures, it has nothing to do with this. ;-)

T-Mar

I wish that I knew a bit more about the company's origins. That may provide some clues. They may have been a generic leather manufacturing form before deciding that setting up a domestic saddle manufacturer was more lucrative. Maybe that's how the BELT brand name came about? Maybe the founder's or some descendant's name was Yoshi Fujita (or another name starting with a Y) and when they created a plastic saddle brand, they named it after him/her? Good luck!

Scooper

FWIW, here's a 1952 ad that shows both the BELT and Y.F.C. trade marks. It's also interesting that the cursive Y.F.C. is on the BELT trade mark.

qcpmsame 

I did about 3 hours searching Friday night after reading the OP, I got what the others have shown, too. My thoughts matched T-mar, and hearing him say it makes me feel more sure that is correct. I noticed the Fixed gear crowd likes these saddles a lot in the search. They seem to have taken the European favorites, like Brooks for their Belt lines and Selle San Marco and its Concour saddles, as models for their lines, much like a lot of other Japanese products after the war. The quality that their engineers could impart is remarkable. I have no problems with the Japanese products at all (none was implied in the other replies here either, just a thought.)

My alma mater, the University of West Florida, has a good Japanese-American study program here, Japan House, I think that I'll call them tomorrow and see if Mrs. Shigeko Honda or one of the others can help me out.

Bill

bloud 

Interesting. Does the BELT stamp read "Made in Y.F.C. Japan"? I can't make it out completely. This could further support the theory it was a region in Japan.

I have queried a few colleagues in Japan and came up empty. I hope your contacts prove more fruitful!

Great stuff guys! I knew there were some historical nuts around here. That's half the fun, right? The little stories behind it all...

frantik

Looks like "Made in Y. F. C. Tokyo" to me

Scooper

The original actually says, "Made in Y.F.C. Tokyo"...

I had the same thought; maybe it's a district or neighborhood within the Tokyo prefecture. I can't find anything with "Y.F.C." on Wikipepedia, though.