In 1932, Shohei Tanaka (1862–1945) invented a Japanese “just intonation” reed organ (hereafter J-“JI”RO), based on 1/8 schisma temperament. The instrument’s innovative design allows a performer to shift pitches up or down uniformly by moving the keyboard to any one of the 18 positions.
      However, since a transposition shifts the tonic to one of 12 pitches, six of the instrument’s 18 installed positions appear to be unnecessary. As for the role that these six positions play, Tanaka School literature provides very little insight. Furthermore, it is difficult to determine which six of the 18 are unnecessary.
      In this paper, I examined pitch data obtained from tests conducted on the inner structure of the fifth J-“JI”RO (1938), along with secondary documents, in order to identify the six seemingly unnecessary positions and determine what role they might play.
      First, through testing, I confirmed two specific parts of the J-“JI”RO and its 46 tones. Mindful of the shifting keyboard, I identified the 31 tones that are produced by the 21 keys within one octave, as well as the intervallic relationships between these 31 tones. Next, I examined and deciphered the uppercase and lowercase letters on the nameplate that indicate each position. Then, I compared the 18 J-“JI”RO positions to the 12 German “JI”RO positions.　
      As a result, I identified 12 “primary positions” and six “secondary positions.” Individually, the primary 12 produce either 30 or 31 different pitches. The secondary six range from 24 to 29 different pitches. Hypothetically, within the “secondary positions,” I am of the view that a sum of the value of approx. 0.244 cents (which are subtracted from each perfect fifth) can avoid movements that exceed a schisma of approx. 1.954 cents on a keyboard transposition.

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   This paper aims to clarify the first performances and their background of G. F. Händel's oratorio Messiah in Japan. Although the Halleluiah chorus was sporadically sung from the Meiji era, Messiah's through performance with its three parts started in the 1920's under the baton of Fred Daniel Gealy(1894–1976)in Tokyo and NAGAI Hitoshi(1893–1985)in Osaka. There are still doubts as to which performance was the premiere in Japan.
   Based on the remaining program sheets and newspaper articles, the actual situation of its earliest through performances (dates, venues, performers and sung pieces) has been clarified, namely of December 20th, 1925 by Gealy in Tokyo, and of March 27th, 1927 by NAGAI in Osaka and April 16th, 1927 again by Gealy in Tokyo. From the chorus members of the Tokyo revival, a collaboration of Christian missionaries of various sects and nationalities has emerged.
   The importance of the Eighth World Sunday School Convention held in Tokyo in October 1920 must be emphasized as the background to the fact that Messiah, requiring a strong chorus, was performed one after another in the mid-1920s. In this convention, held four years later due to World War I, a choir of nearly one thousand sang three choruses from Messiah, conducted by Augustine Smith (1875–1952). (TSUGAWA Shuichi wrote that this "caused zeal for choral singing in Japanese Christian churches" and that he "decided to devote [his] life to holy music," as did TORII Chūgorō and others too.) On October 29th, the Osaka choir of 250 sang the Hallelujah chorus in Osaka conducted by NAGAI.
   Missionaries' performances of Oratorios and their choruses, totally overlooked hitherto, should be re-evaluated as activities that contributed to the collective interest on the part of the recipient in the history of Messiah reception in Japan.

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