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Manufacturing physics and chemical instruments and specimens for educational institutions and disseminating scientific knowledge

Founding a company in Kyoto, a city committed to meeting the challenge of modernization and promoting education

In 1868, following the restoration of imperial rule, Edo was renamed Tokyo. The following year, Japan’s capital was moved from Kyoto to Tokyo, and as a result, Kyoto's population declined rapidly from 340,000 to 230,000. The Kyoto prefectural government knew that recovery would require that education be promoted to prepare the next generation, and that Western technology be promoted to achieve modernization. Thus, in 1869 it established 64 elementary schools, one in each of the existing self-governing districts. Three years later, in 1872, the central government standardized Japan’s school system and started building elementary schools nationwide. As such, Kyoto was where promotion of education was accelerating most rapidly in Japan.

The vicinity of Kiyamachi-Nijo in Kyoto, where Genzo Shimadzu Sr. was residing, saw the construction of the Industry and Commerce Promotion Office and one industrial facility after another, including a dyeing operation and an agricultural experimental station. Genzo Sr. sensed that science and technology were the wave of the future, and made frequent visits to the nearby Physics and Chemistry Research Institute, which led to his receiving requests to repair physics- and chemistry-related scientific instruments.

At the time, physics and chemistry instruments for educational use had to be imported from the West. Genzo Sr. founded Shimadzu Corporation in 1875 and began manufacturing such instruments, using the expertise he had acquired through extensive repair work.

The Third Higher School (today’s Kyoto University) and other entities often asked Genzo Sr. to manufacture instruments for physics and chemistry use, and he gained their trust through his commitment to meet every need. His company became known throughout the industry thanks to its ability to supply not only instruments for physics and chemistry use, but other types of equipment for which there was a need, and for its contributions to the field of education. The number of items handled by the company increased steadily, and in 1882, Genzo Sr. published the Science Equipment Catalog List. This is the oldest surviving Shimadzu catalog, listing 110 items in five categories, accompanied by illustrations. It even includes items used at Tokyo universities and teacher training colleges.

Shimadzu’s physics and chemistry instrument business was spun off in 1969. Today, 150 years after the founding, Shimadzu Rika Corporation continues the business as a comprehensive technology company marketing products, engaging in education and research, and expanding its business into consulting.

Publishing a scientific journal and founding a technical salon

In 1886, Genzo Sr. began to publish the Physics and Chemistry Industrial Arts Journal to disseminate and promote awareness of scientific knowledge. The journal featured articles relating to the latest scientific theories and information, written by up-and-coming researchers who had returned from studying abroad. That same year, he also founded the Physics and Chemistry Society. Upon request of school teachers, the Society conducted public scientific experiments. It also carried out various kinds of analysis and experiments on request. Information regarding the Society and its activities was published in the Physics and Chemistry Industrial Arts Journal. The journal continued to evolve with the times and is published today as the Shimadzu Review.

This wide range of initiatives, unique among enterprises of the time, was praised by educational professionals and served as the driving force for Shimadzu’s development.

Genzo Sr. and Genzo Jr. lecture on science at a teacher training college

Both Genzo Sr. and Genzo Jr. served as school instructors. Genzo Sr.’s name became widely known not only for manufacturing instruments for physics and chemistry use, but also for activities that were driven by a sense of social mission to disseminate scientific knowledge. In 1886, he was appointed as an instructor in the Kyoto Normal School, a teacher-training school for teachers engaged in compulsory education, in the Metalworking Department. His son Umejiro (later Genzo Jr.) followed in his footsteps at age 18, and was also appointed to Kyoto Prefecture’s first Elementary School Teacher Academic Proficiency Test Committee. Umejiro’s passion for education was such that he subsequently traveled the country in response to invitations from educators to present physics-related experiments and lectures. For example, he lectured at Kagoshima Higher Middle Zoshikan School (later Kagoshima University) as well as in Matsue at the request of Shimane Prefecture.

Scientific specimens for deep understanding of the human body, animals, and plants

Shimadzu continued to broaden the scope of its educational projects. Western academics regarded specimens as important for the study of natural science, and specimens were also needed by the Third Higher School, as well as the Medical School (today’s Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine). Genzo Sr. also emphasized the need for specimens on the part of the educational system in Japan, which was striving to catch up with Western countries. He declared that “the structure of the human body and the ecology of animals and plants cannot be understood through lectures alone.”

Genzo Jr. was determined to realize his father’s vision, and in 1895 he established the Specimen Department. All kinds of specimens were produced, and the department succeeded in depicting the appearance of soils, minerals, animals, and plants, as well as the physiological and anatomical structure of the human body, with great accuracy and detail, and orders from educational institutions grew. The quality of its specimens reflected Shimadzu’s high manufacturing standards and its superior technical capabilities. In 1948, the Specimen Department was spun off as today’s Kyoto Kagaku Co., Ltd., and continues to manufacture specimen models and other products, including training models for medical and nursing care and medical imaging phantoms.

Training specialists to use medical X-ray system
Specialist training dates to the dawn of radiology, and will continue into the future

As the use of medical X-ray system became widespread, the need for qualified specialists expands

Genzo Jr., collaborating with Professor Hanichi Muraoka of the Third Higher School, succeeded in taking X-ray photographs just 11 months after the discovery of X-rays by German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen in 1895. This was the beginning of Shimadzu’s journey as a manufacturer of medical X-ray system.

As the use of medical X-ray system spread, Genzo Jr. promoted improvements and new product development. At the same time, he believed it was necessary to train specialists with correct knowledge of X-rays who could operate such equipment safely. Radiology was in its infancy; new medical X-ray treatments were highly evaluated, and more medical institutions were beginning to use them. However, physicians were operating the X-ray system rather than X-ray specialists, which prevented doctors from focusing on treatment.

In response, Genzo Jr. held his first lecture for aspiring X-ray specialists in 1921. At the time, there were few such specialized programs, and the week-long course included lectures by experienced instructors as well as hands-on guidance. With each course cycle, the number of subjects covered and the number of participants increased. The course continued to be held until 1939, when it was handed off to the Japan Radiological Society.

Japan’s first radiological technologist training school

In 1927, Shimadzu's efforts to train radiological technologists took another major step forward. With approval from Kyoto Prefecture, Shimadzu established Japan's first educational institution for training radiological technologists, the Shimadzu X-Ray Technology Training Center. The school initially offered a six-month course of study. But as radiology progressed, the degree of knowledge required by radiological technologists also increased. Consequently, the number of subjects covered was further expanded and the length of training increased. The name of the institute evolved with the times, changing to X-ray Technology Vocational School, Kyoto Institute of X-ray Technology, Kyoto Institute of Medical Technology, and later Kyoto Junior College of Medical Technology. In 2007, the institute became a four-year university, Kyoto University of Medical Science.

Graduates of the University sit the national examination to become certified radiological technologists, and are working in medical institutions throughout Japan. The national examination pass rate for graduates of the University exceeds the national average, reaching 100% for the 2022 academic year. The University is equipped with a wide range of the latest Medical systems, ensured and maintained by Shimadzu.

Both Shimadzu and the University regard this training as very precious, and they hope each student will become a medical professional equipped with extensive knowledge and rich humanity, who can interact with patients on the future medical frontline and contribute in collaboration with other medical professionals.