Private company

Kawanishi Aircraft Company

Logo: Полковник Голем, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons³

Japanese aircraft manufacturer

The Kawanishi Aircraft Company (川西航空機, Kawanishi kōkūki) was a Japanese aircraft manufacturer active during World War II.² It ceased to exist in 1949.¹ Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1920Founded¹

Industryaircraft industry¹
HeadquartersHyōgo Prefecture¹

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The Kawanishi Aircraft Company (川西航空機, Kawanishi kōkūki) was a Japanese aircraft manufacturer active during World War II.²

The story

The company was founded as Kawanishi Engineering Works in 1920 in Hyōgo Prefecture as an outgrowth of the Kawanishi conglomerate, which had been funding the Nakajima Aircraft Company. Kawanishi built its first aircraft, the Kawanishi K-1 Mail-carrying Aircraft in 1921, and set up an airline, Nippon Koku K.K. (Japan Aviation Co. Ltd) in 1923, designing and building several aircraft for the airline's use. It was forced by the Japanese government to shut down Nippon Koku in 1929, however, with its routes being transferred to the government-owned Nippon Koku Yuso K.K. (Japan Air Transport Co. Ltd.) Kawanishi then split off the former Kawanishi Engineering Works, forming Kawanishi Kokuki KK in 1928, taking all of the Kawanishi Engineering Works' assets.

While Kawanishi was best known for its seaplanes, such as the Kawanishi H6K and H8K flying boats, its N1K-J land-based fighter -derived from their Kawanishi N1K1 floatplane fighter- was considered one of the best in the war. After Japan's defeat, the company was reborn as Shin Meiwa Industries (later ShinMaywa), and continued to create flying boats such as the PS-1 and US-2.

From Wikipedia’s article on Kawanishi Aircraft Company, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.⁴

Products and brands

airplane

Listed on Wikidata.¹

Floatplanes

E5K - 1931 three-seat reconnaissance floatplane, Kawanishi-built version of Yokosuka E5Y; 20 built

E7K - 1933 three-seat reconnaissance floatplane; 533 built

E8K - 1933 reconnaissance floatplane prototype, cancelled as it was inferior to the Nakajima E4N2; one built

E10K - 1934 night reconnaissance/transport flying boat; one built, but cancelled in favor of the Aichi E10A; prototype converted into a transport

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E11K - 1937 night reconnaissance flying boat; two built, but cancelled in favor of the Aichi E11A

E12K - 1937 two-seat reconnaissance floatplane project

E13K - 1938 three-seat reconnaissance floatplane; two built, but cancelled in favor of the Aichi E13A

E15K Shiun - 1941 reconnaissance floatplane; 15 built

Bombers

G9K Gunzan - proposed land-based heavy bomber based on the H8K, remained a project, the "G9K Gunzan" name being a post-war extrapolation.

K-100 - twin-engine land-based bomber project

TB - four-engine heavy bomber project

Flying boats

H3K - 1930 patrol/training flying boat; 5 built

H6K - 1936 patrol flying boat developed from the H3K; 215 built

H8K - 1941 patrol flying boat; 167 built

H11K Soukū - transport flying boat project; mockup only

K-60 - long-range 80 ton flying boat project

K-200 - proposed turbojet-powered long-range flying boat, not built

KX-3 - 500 ton, 12 engine flying boat project

Fighters

K-11 - 1927 carrier-based fighter

A8K - 1945 projected carrier-based fighter based on the J6K

J3K - 1942 interceptor fighter, not built

J6K Jinpū - 1943 interceptor fighter based on the J3K; mockup only

N1K Kyōfū - 1942 floatplane fighter

N1K1-J/N1K2-J Shiden/Shiden Kai - 1942 land-based fighter conversion of N1K

Trainers

K6K - 1938 floatplane trainer prototype; 2 built

K8K - 1938 floatplane trainer; 15 built

Transports

H6K2-L/H6K4-L - unarmed transport conversions of H6K

H8K1-L/H8K2-L/H8K4-L Seikū - transport conversions of H8K; H8K4-L remained a project as all H8K4s were lost in 1945

H11K1-L - projected transport version of H11K

Suicide attack aircraft

Baika - projected kamikaze aircraft based on the Fieseler Fi 103R, not built

Civil aircraft

K-1 - 1920 mail plane

K-2 - 1921 single-seat racer

K-3 - 1921 multipurpose transport aircraft developed from the K-1

K-5 - 1922 floatplane mail plane

K-6 - 1923 three-seat biplane airliner

K-7A Transport Seaplane - 1925 six-seat biplane floatplane airliner

K-7B Mail-carrying Aircraft - mail plane modification of K-7A

K-8 Transport Seaplane - 1926 floatplane mail plane

K-9 - cargo aircraft project

K-10 Transport - 1926 mail plane/six-seat airliner

K-12 Sakura - 1928 experimental long-range record-breaking aircraft