Research activities were promoted as joint works of the TAO and the Department of
Astronomy at Tokyo Imperial University.
The modernization of the observatory, particularly its transformation into a
research institute, took place in the postwar era and will be considered in Chap. 6.
3.3 Hagihara Yusuke and Celestial Mechanics
3.3.1 Life and Works
In Tokyo, astrophysics was promoted by Hagihara Yusuke (萩原雄祐, 1897–1979),
who devoted his professional life to celestial mechanics and, additionally, physical
processes in planetary nebulae (Suemoto et al. 1979).
Hagihara was born in Osaka in 1897. His early years were full of difficulties, his
parents were divorced, and his mother deserted him soon after he was born. His
father’s factory faced financial difficulties during Hagihara’s school years. In middle
school, in Osaka, he needed help from his teacher Origuchi Shinobu (折口信夫,
1887–1959). He was a poet, known by his pen name Shaku Choku (釋趙空), and he
was later appointed professor of Japanese literature at Kokugakuin University in
Fig. 3.2 Main building of
TAO established in 1924 at
Mitaka (Tokyo University
1987)
Table 3.2 Past Directors of TAO (I)
Name
Term
Specific fields
1. Terao Hisashi
1888–1919 Positional astronomy
2. Hirayama Shin
1919–1928 Positional astronomy, statistical
astronomy
3. Sotome Kiyofusa
1928–1936 Positional astronomy, Solar System
4. Sekiguchi Koikichi
1936–1945 Solar physics, meteorology
5. Hukumi Naobumi (Acting
Director)
1945–1946 Positional astronomy
Directors in postwar period will be given in Table 6.2 in Chap. 6.
48
3 Astronomy in Early Showa. I. Tokyo 1926–1945
Astronomy at Tokyo Imperial University.
The modernization of the observatory, particularly its transformation into a
research institute, took place in the postwar era and will be considered in Chap. 6.
3.3 Hagihara Yusuke and Celestial Mechanics
3.3.1 Life and Works
In Tokyo, astrophysics was promoted by Hagihara Yusuke (萩原雄祐, 1897–1979),
who devoted his professional life to celestial mechanics and, additionally, physical
processes in planetary nebulae (Suemoto et al. 1979).
Hagihara was born in Osaka in 1897. His early years were full of difficulties, his
parents were divorced, and his mother deserted him soon after he was born. His
father’s factory faced financial difficulties during Hagihara’s school years. In middle
school, in Osaka, he needed help from his teacher Origuchi Shinobu (折口信夫,
1887–1959). He was a poet, known by his pen name Shaku Choku (釋趙空), and he
was later appointed professor of Japanese literature at Kokugakuin University in
Fig. 3.2 Main building of
TAO established in 1924 at
Mitaka (Tokyo University
1987)
Table 3.2 Past Directors of TAO (I)
Name
Term
Specific fields
1. Terao Hisashi
1888–1919 Positional astronomy
2. Hirayama Shin
1919–1928 Positional astronomy, statistical
astronomy
3. Sotome Kiyofusa
1928–1936 Positional astronomy, Solar System
4. Sekiguchi Koikichi
1936–1945 Solar physics, meteorology
5. Hukumi Naobumi (Acting
Director)
1945–1946 Positional astronomy
Directors in postwar period will be given in Table 6.2 in Chap. 6.
48
3 Astronomy in Early Showa. I. Tokyo 1926–1945