Shiomi Institute for Physical and Chemical Research
The establishment of the Shiomi Institute for Physical and Chemical Research was permitted in 1916. At about the same time, the national government and the business community prepared in cooperation for the establishment of the Institute for Physical and Chemical Research in Tokyo, which was founded in 1917. Therefore, the Shiomi Research Institute was established slightly ahead of the Institute for Physical and Chemical Research. Although the Shiomi Institute for Physical and Chemical Research was founded practically by one person's funds, it was the amazing effort and passion of Aihiko Sata that made it possible to obtain permission in just about two weeks following the establishment of the Institute was entrusted to him.
For the operation and management of the Shiomi Research Institute, Shiomi used the system employed by the Rockefeller Research Laboratories in the United States as a model, and then decided to use 250,000 yen out of the total donation of 1,000,000 yen as a start-up capital and the remaining 750,000 yen as operating fund in order to enable independent administration.
For founding the Institute, Aihiko Sata sought advice from Hantaro Nagaoka, a prominent figure in academia at that time who later became the first president of Osaka Imperial University. In response, Nagano provided cooperation in selecting researchers.
There was no building or facility in the beginning, so the researchers were also working in Osaka Medical University or as teachers for preparatory courses for the university. At the same time, the Shiomi Research Institute fostered researchers by sending them overseas and collecting foreign literatures.
In 1925, the Shiomi Institute for Physical and Chemical Research building was constructed at the site adjacent to the northeastern side of the Medical University Hospital located on the north bank of Dojima River.
Researchers at Shiomi Institute for Physical and Chemical Research
| Department | At the time of inauguration in 1917 | 1925 Shiomi Research Institute completed |
1931 The University of Osaka established |
1956 Foundation dissolved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief | Aihiko Sata | Takeo Shimizu | Kinnosuke Ogura* (小倉金之助) | Naoyasu Sata |
| Director | Kenzo Koyama | Aihiko Sata | Aihiko Sata | Hachiro Takehara |
| Physics | Takeo Shimizu | Takeo Shimizu (later took the post of professor of Tokyo Imperial University) | ||
| Tokiharu Okaya | Tokiharu Okaya (Professor of The University of Osaka) | |||
| Tsunesaburo Asada | Tsunesaburo Asada (Professor of The University of Osaka) | Tsunesaburo Asada | ||
| Mathematics | Kinnosuke Ogura* (小倉金之助) | Kinnosuke Ogura* (小倉金之助) | Kinnosuke Ogura* (小倉金之助) (Lecturer at The University of Osaka, later retired) | |
| Satoru Takenaka* (竹中暁) | Satoru Takenaka* (竹中暁) | |||
| Chemistry | Yashiro Kotake (also worked as a professor at Prefectural Medical University of Osaka at the same time, and then later worked full time at Osaka Medical University) | |||
| Masaji Chikano* (近野政次) | Kentaro Nakajima* (中島健太郎) | |||
| Toshizo Chitani (Professor of The University of Osaka) | ||||
| Naoyasu Sata (Assistant Professor of The University of Osaka, later became Professor) | Naoyasu Sata | |||
The Outlines of Shiomi Institute for Physical and Chemical Research[4] published in 1926, immediately after the construction of the building, and in 1931 when the establishment of the university was decided are stored at the The University of Osaka Archives. They show the external view of the building as well as the floor plans and photos of laboratories.
When the establishment of the School of Science was decided, achievements of the researchers at the Shiomi Institute for Physical and Chemical Research were compiled and the list of achievements was bound together with the Outline and archived. One of the researchers, Tsunesaburo Asada, later became a professor of physics and won fame in the field of experimental physics. One of the founders of Sony, Akio Morita, was Tsunesaburo Asada’s disciple, and it is said that Asada’s advice frequently saved Morita’s company.
Main research achievements of the Shiomi Research Institute prior to the establishment of the university included Takeo Shimizu’s invention of a continuous alpha particle generator and research on the characteristics of materials using X-rays, Kinnosuke Ogura’s* (小倉金之助) research on interpolation theory, research on Japanese mathematics history, Tokiharu Okaya’s statistical research on medicine, Yashiro Kotake and Jiro Iwao’s research on the metabolisms of amino acids such as tryptophan, Koichi Naito’s* (内藤鋼一) research on the effect of perfusate reaction on the gamma heart activity, Masaji Chikano’s* (近野政次) research on the quantitative method for amino acids, Tsunesaburo Asada’s research on mercury lamps, Satoru Takenaka’s* (竹中暁) research on simultaneous linear integral equation and regular functions, and Kentaro Nakajima’s* (中島健太郎) research on the decomposition of amino acids inside animal bodies, Even after the university was established, the researchers at the Shiomi Research Institute who also held posts at the university, conducted research, including colloidal research by Naoyasu Sata with a focus on the colloidal action of ultrasound, research on high-pressure mercury lamps by Tsunesaburo Asada and research on heavy water by Toshizo Chitani and Masao Koizumi.
[4] “Outline of Shiomi Institute for Physical and Chemical Research” archived by The University of Osaka Archives
* "Romaji” expressions were conjectured based on the kanji characters.