belonging to these families had the same origin, namely, that they were created from
one or two large bodies by unknown cause (Hirayama 1922a). After returning to
Japan, he continued his asteroid searches and discovered most of the major families
known today.
Hirayama worked as an engineer at the TAO from 1921 on calendar-making and
time systems. In parallel with these routine works he was also interested in the
history of astronomy, and he wrote a number of essays on the calendar and time
systems in the world. Some of them are collected in his essays Calendar and Time
(Hirayama 1938). In1920, Kanda Shigeru (神田茂, 1894–1974) entered the TAO, as
chief editor of the annual Chronological Science Tables (理科年表). In parallel,
Kanda worked on the history of astronomy in Japan and collected astronomical data
(Chap. 3, Sect. 3.9).
2.3 Dawn of Astrophysics and Geophysics
In the Meiji period, astrophysics was still not a distinct subject from physics and
geophysics. Takamine Toshio (see below) wrote in his reminiscences:
“In the history of physics in Japan, the first developed field was geophysics, which was
promoted by Tanakadate Aikitsu and Nagaoka Hantaro, and next was spectroscopy, also
promoted by Nagaoka” (Fujioka 1964)
This was affected by the first foreign instructor, Thomas C. Mendenhall, who was a
specialist of geophysics and spectroscopy. Among the first generation that studied
under Mendenhall were Tanakadate Aikitsu and Nagaoka Hantaro. Both worked
extensively in physics and geophysics and trained the next generation, such as
Takamine Toshio, Terada Torahiko, Ishiwara Jun, and others. However, they
worked exclusively in the field of physics, without a direct connection to astronomy.
The dawn of astrophysics among astronomers began with scientists associated
with foreign studies, such as Hirayama Shin, Shinjo Shinzo, and Ichinohe Naozo. Of
these, Hirayama worked on positional astronomy in the Meiji era under Terao,
Director of the TAO, while Shinjo and Ichinohe were deeply involved in the
development of astrophysics in Western countries and devoted efforts to promoting
astrophysics in Kyoto and Tokyo, respectively.
In the discussion that follows, the lives and works of these pioneers are successively presented.
2.3.1 T. C. Mendenhall, First Professor of Physics
In 1878, Thomas Corwin Mendenhall (1841–1924), a professor of physics and
mechanics at Ohio State University, was recruited to help modernize Meiji Era
Japan as one of the hired foreign instructors, and he served as a professor of physics
24
2 Astronomy from Meiji to Taisho Period 1868–1926
one or two large bodies by unknown cause (Hirayama 1922a). After returning to
Japan, he continued his asteroid searches and discovered most of the major families
known today.
Hirayama worked as an engineer at the TAO from 1921 on calendar-making and
time systems. In parallel with these routine works he was also interested in the
history of astronomy, and he wrote a number of essays on the calendar and time
systems in the world. Some of them are collected in his essays Calendar and Time
(Hirayama 1938). In1920, Kanda Shigeru (神田茂, 1894–1974) entered the TAO, as
chief editor of the annual Chronological Science Tables (理科年表). In parallel,
Kanda worked on the history of astronomy in Japan and collected astronomical data
(Chap. 3, Sect. 3.9).
2.3 Dawn of Astrophysics and Geophysics
In the Meiji period, astrophysics was still not a distinct subject from physics and
geophysics. Takamine Toshio (see below) wrote in his reminiscences:
“In the history of physics in Japan, the first developed field was geophysics, which was
promoted by Tanakadate Aikitsu and Nagaoka Hantaro, and next was spectroscopy, also
promoted by Nagaoka” (Fujioka 1964)
This was affected by the first foreign instructor, Thomas C. Mendenhall, who was a
specialist of geophysics and spectroscopy. Among the first generation that studied
under Mendenhall were Tanakadate Aikitsu and Nagaoka Hantaro. Both worked
extensively in physics and geophysics and trained the next generation, such as
Takamine Toshio, Terada Torahiko, Ishiwara Jun, and others. However, they
worked exclusively in the field of physics, without a direct connection to astronomy.
The dawn of astrophysics among astronomers began with scientists associated
with foreign studies, such as Hirayama Shin, Shinjo Shinzo, and Ichinohe Naozo. Of
these, Hirayama worked on positional astronomy in the Meiji era under Terao,
Director of the TAO, while Shinjo and Ichinohe were deeply involved in the
development of astrophysics in Western countries and devoted efforts to promoting
astrophysics in Kyoto and Tokyo, respectively.
In the discussion that follows, the lives and works of these pioneers are successively presented.
2.3.1 T. C. Mendenhall, First Professor of Physics
In 1878, Thomas Corwin Mendenhall (1841–1924), a professor of physics and
mechanics at Ohio State University, was recruited to help modernize Meiji Era
Japan as one of the hired foreign instructors, and he served as a professor of physics
24
2 Astronomy from Meiji to Taisho Period 1868–1926