REMINISCENCE OF THE SITUATIONS AT ESTABLISHMENT OF THE IRON & STEEL INSTITUTE OF JAPAN

Abstract

The present article is a memorandum of 40 years experience of the author in the history of the Institute.
In July 8th,1914 (Taisho-3), Messrs. Kaichiro Imaizumi, Kuniichi Tawara, Kageyoshi Noro and Koroku Komura assembled together to discuss the establishment of an Institute in view of publication of an organ periodical, installation of an laboratory and a display station and making such research as would be suitable for science and industry. On October 4th 1915 (Taisho-4) a meeting of promoters including the aforementioned and besides Messrs. Fuji Tanaka, Masayoshi Tsutsumi, and Seiichi Terano, to discuss about the preparation.
On Feb.6th,1915 (Taisho-4), the inauguration meeting was held at the Building of Nippon Kogyokai,, Tokyo and the enlisted members then attained to 610 persons. The directors were Messrs. Kaichiro Imaizumi, Kuniichi Tawara, Koroku Komura and Seiichi Terano, the chairman of directors being Mr. Kageyoshi Noro. The organ periodical “Tetsu-to-Hagané”(The Journal of The Iron & Steel Institute of Japan) was first published in Mar.1915. Since then the Journal has been published every month incessantly excepting a period from Nov.1944 to Dec.1945. The establishment of the Institute was entirely initiated by the merits of Dr. Prof. Noro, former professor of Tokyo Imperial University and other collaborators were all his disciples. In his later years Dr. Noro became consultant to Tanaka (the present Kamaishi) Iron Works and the Governmental Edamitsu (the present Yawata)Iron Works to develop the blast furnace operations and died in 1923 (Taisho-12). The special features of the Regulations of the Institute was the qualification of the Institute members, that comprehended not only the scientists, engineers, manufacturers but the sellers and users. The reason simply lies in that the iron and steel industry could not do without cooperation of the users and sales agents. This must strictly be reminded for a synthetic engineering such as the iron & steel industry. From the first outset the author was appointed an editor of the Journal and has experienecd a number of difficulties. The other editors in cooperation were Messrs. Kajima Muroi, Yoshihiro Kawakami and Katsumi Inouye.
Beside the senior Dr. Noro. the author also recollected Drs. Imaizumi, Komura, Hattori and Tsuruo Noda, Saburo Watanabe and Takeshi Kawamura to be forerunners of the siderurgical engineers in Japan and the best contributors to development of the Institute. Some of the prize funds and the Library books of the Institute were all donations from or in memory of these forerunners.