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Yamamoto Mataroku
| Birth Place | Present Aki-shi, Kochi-ken |
|---|---|
| Birth | 1881 |
| Death | 1980 |
Overview
He contributed to the development of local industries, especially textile industry. He was the principal of Hamamatsu Kogyo Gakko (present Hamamatsu Technical High School) and Hamamatsu Kogyo Shikenjo (present Industrial Research Institute of Shizuoka Prefecture Hamamatsu Technical Support Center).
Early Life
Yamamoto Mataroku was born in what now is Aki City, Kochi Prefecture, in 1881. He graduated from a fabric dyeing course at an industrial school attached to the predecessor of Tokyo Institute of Technology.
Textile Industry in Hamamatsu
He was giving the post of chief engineer at the industrial research center (present Industrial Research Institute of Shizuoka) in Hamamatsu after working at industrial schools in Ishikawa and Tokushima.
He believed that modernization, mechanization and education were necessary for the development of textile industry in the region. In 1918, thanks to his effort, an industrial school was founded (present Hamamatsu Technical High School). He worked on education of young engineer as the first principal of the school until 1945.
He contributed to lay the foundations of the industry through promoting the use of wide looms, increase in the variety of goods, and improve of quality by strengthening inspections. Furthermore, he achieved in standardizing the quality of fabric dyeing methods of the industry. He replaced natural indigo paints, which quality wasn't always stable, with the artificial dyes developed by studying those imported from Germany.
In order to leave his knowledge and experiences on working with textiles to future generations, he published "Totomi Orimono-shiko" (History of Totomi Textile).
Other Achievements
After WWII, he did not only serve the industry but also the whole community. He was named honorary chairman of the Hamamatsu Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He was also a member of the Labor Committee of Shizuoka Prefecture and the Election Administration Committee of Hamamatsu City. On July 1, 1966, he was named honorary citizen of the city.
See Also
Reference
Hamamatsu-Shiseiyoran (Hamamatsu City Guide)
Hamamatsu Sangyoshi (the History of Hamamatsu's Industry)