mostly stayed in his field without many accomplishments in polymer science.
Michizo Asano and Eiji Ochiai later became professors of pharmacology at
Tokyo University. Taizo Yamashita worked for a pharmaceutical company. None
pursued a career in the macromolecular field. In his book [1], Yasu Furukawa
stated, “ironically, it was a group of students coming from the opponent school who
played a major role in the promotion of polymer science in Japan.” Tsukumo
Tomonari (Kurarey Co.), Ichiro Sakurada (Kyoto University), Motoi Wadano
(Daicel Co.), and Hiroshi Sobue (Tokyo University), all from Hess’s group, played
leading roles in the polymer community. Ichiro Sakurada and Kisou Kanamaru
(Tokyo Institute of Technology) learned colloid chemistry with Wolfgang Ostwald.
The reasons behind this have been variously speculated in the relevant articles [1, 2].
3 Off-Duty Days
On this trip to Japan, unlike ordinary scientific visits, the Staudingers had plenty of
time to enjoy cultural activities such as watching kabuki, visiting museums, and
sight-seeing tours to various spots including Izu, Ise, Kyoto, Nara, and Hiroshima.
All these trips seemed to be accompanied by a lively group of friends and former
research associates. Some of the photos of the events are reproduced below (Figs. 4,
5, 6, and 7). Apart from scientific discussions, Staudinger played the role of a goodnatured old man with dignified appearance.
4 Short Reunion
On the way back to Freiburg, the Staudingers took a flight to Zurich (Kloten) on the
30th of April. When landed, they were interviewed by a journalist. A photo and
their short comments appeared in a Swiss magazine Su unt Er on May 16th 1957
(Fig. 8): “Prof. Staudinger weilte auf Einladung von acht wissenschaftlichen
Fig. 4 With Kabuki actor,
Ennosuke Ichikawa
Staudinger’s Footprints in Japan During His 30-Day Visit in 1957
143
Michizo Asano and Eiji Ochiai later became professors of pharmacology at
Tokyo University. Taizo Yamashita worked for a pharmaceutical company. None
pursued a career in the macromolecular field. In his book [1], Yasu Furukawa
stated, “ironically, it was a group of students coming from the opponent school who
played a major role in the promotion of polymer science in Japan.” Tsukumo
Tomonari (Kurarey Co.), Ichiro Sakurada (Kyoto University), Motoi Wadano
(Daicel Co.), and Hiroshi Sobue (Tokyo University), all from Hess’s group, played
leading roles in the polymer community. Ichiro Sakurada and Kisou Kanamaru
(Tokyo Institute of Technology) learned colloid chemistry with Wolfgang Ostwald.
The reasons behind this have been variously speculated in the relevant articles [1, 2].
3 Off-Duty Days
On this trip to Japan, unlike ordinary scientific visits, the Staudingers had plenty of
time to enjoy cultural activities such as watching kabuki, visiting museums, and
sight-seeing tours to various spots including Izu, Ise, Kyoto, Nara, and Hiroshima.
All these trips seemed to be accompanied by a lively group of friends and former
research associates. Some of the photos of the events are reproduced below (Figs. 4,
5, 6, and 7). Apart from scientific discussions, Staudinger played the role of a goodnatured old man with dignified appearance.
4 Short Reunion
On the way back to Freiburg, the Staudingers took a flight to Zurich (Kloten) on the
30th of April. When landed, they were interviewed by a journalist. A photo and
their short comments appeared in a Swiss magazine Su unt Er on May 16th 1957
(Fig. 8): “Prof. Staudinger weilte auf Einladung von acht wissenschaftlichen
Fig. 4 With Kabuki actor,
Ennosuke Ichikawa
Staudinger’s Footprints in Japan During His 30-Day Visit in 1957
143