A família Komatsu é originária da província de Nagano, no Japão. A história da família Komatsu data back to the 12th century, when the family was involved in the samurai class of Japanese society. The family name Komatsu is derived from the Japanese word for "little pine tree". The Komatsu family has been involved in a number of businesses over the centuries, including agriculture, forestry, and construction. The family's construction business was started by Kiyoshi Komatsu in the early 1900s. Kiyoshi's son, Kiichiro Komatsu, took over the business after World War II and expanded it into a major international company.