Yama(no)uchi Ice Axe

1929

The first domestic ice axe made by Toichiro
Yama(no)uchi, a technician at IMR. At thetime, it was considered to be one of the
top five masterpieces by alpinists
worldwide.

Institute for Materials Research,
Tohoku University
Established in 1916
Remembering its 100-year history
The Honda Memorial Hall is a research building completed in1941. In 1994, a renovation reinforced the walls and refurbishedthe interiors while the entrance hall and the marble stones of thestaircase were kept, thus preserving the appearance of the olddays. It was recognized as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property(Structure) by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs in 2021.
The Honda Memorial Room and the Memorial Exhibition
Room on the second floor of this building showcase regularexhibition of items associated with Prof. Kotaro Honda (thefounder of IMR), various innovations from IMR that has
become commercialized such as KS magnet steel, and several
other new materials and their products.

The exhibit: Donated by Mr. Tomio
Sakai (a former member of the Tohoku
University alpine club)
Serial Number: 1865/2000

1920

Notebook of Prof. Kotaro Honda
Handwritten lecture notes by Prof. Kotaro
Honda, the first director of IMR.

1959

The exhibit: “Steel Science, Chapter 1, Preface: On
Research Methods”

Dendritic Titanium Crystals
Titanium dendrites created by “vaporphase reduction method.*”
The research for this technology waspromoted with the aim to mass
produce high-purity titanium, which
was of a concern at that time.
Although it was not used in industry,
it was recognized as Essential
Historical Materials for Science andTechnology (by the National
Museum of Nature and Science) as
an achievement that should beconveyed to future generations.
*The method to obtain high-purity titanium
by reducing titanium tetrachloride withvaporized magnesium.

■

Honda Memorial Hall

Memorial Exhibition Room■

Honda Memorial RoomProf. Kotaro Honda was the founderof IMR and a metallurgist andphysicist. He was selected as one of
the Ten Japanese Great Inventors by
the Japan Patent Office.
In commemorating his achievements,
his desk, chair, laboratory notebook,calligraphy, and other various relics
are exhibited.

Visitor Information
Opening Hours

Weekdays 9：00 〜 16：00
Maximum visitor numbers
Up to about 10 people
Planning your visits and reservations
For a guided tour：Please contact us to make a reservation at least 10 daysin advance.
Without a guide： Reservations are not required. Please visit General Affairs
Office at the entrance of the Honda Memorial Hall to sign-in.
Tour duration time
About 15 minutes
Contact
Public Relations Office, Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University
E-mail: pro-adm.imr@grp.tohoku.ac.jp
TEL: 022-215-2144

FAX: 022-215-2482

Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University
1st edition, December 2023

Sendust

The most powerful permanent magnet in the world at thetime, invented in Japan. KS Magnet Steel was named after
Kichizaemon Sumitomo who donated research funds.

Magnetic core material used for devices such astransformers in electronic equipment. It is also
used for components in smartphones. The namecame from magnetic ‘dust’ made in ‘Sendai’.

Alloy used in hairsprings
for wristwatches as ahigh-precision springmaterial. Coefficient ofthermal expansion is veryminimal, allowing for
accurate time keeping.

Cold-rolling
process of step
cross-sectioned strips

20-high rolling mill by
SENDZIMIR JAPAN, LTD

Tough high hardness
alloy tool bit

Sendust magnetic seal

Sendust pressedpowder coreSendust (soft magneticmaterial) powder andits pressed core

Product of TOHOKUSTEEL CO., LTD.

Successful ductility ofintermetallic
compound Ni3Al

Nitinol products(Portable wirelessantenna and eyeglassframe)

Germanium singlecrystal

Potassium lithium
niobate (KLN) single
crystal (by micro pullingdown technique)

Rutile single crystal (byEFG technique)Calcium niobium gallium
garnet (Nd:CNGG)
single crystal (byCzochralski Technique)

Silicon Carbide/
Carbon-based
functionally gradedmaterials

Magnetic coremade ofamorphousalloy ribbon

Zr-based metallic glass
plate

Seiji Kaya

Entrance

Co-Elinvar

Pulse magnet (the world’s
first use of Be-Cu wire)

Tenon cutter by TOYOKNIFE CO., LTD.

COBARION®: Newclass of Co–Cr-based
alloysTakejiro Murakami Hakaru Masumoto

1973

Bitter disk for hybrid
magnetSlitter knife and ultra
chipper knife by TOYOKNIFE CO., LTD.

Fe-Ni-Si-B amorphousalloy powder

Kotaro Honda

Silicon Carbide (SiC) Fiber
Lightweight, high-strength, andhigh heat-resistant ceramic fiber. It
is attracting much attention as it isbeing introduced in the latestengines to reduce aircraft weight.

Amorphous Alloy

1976

Soft magnetic material used fortape heads and transformers. Itscharacteristics are high-strengthand rust resistant properties.

Research Products

The first Collin’s typehelium liquefier
introduced in Japan(displayed in Building 2)
and its instruction manual

1916

Fe-Co-Cr-Si-B
amorphous alloy wire

Relics of the noted professors

Entrance

1940

Micro-transformer
made withamorphousalloy steel

Shinbu Sword
Yamanouchi Ice Axe

Applied products ofamorphous soft
magnetic alloy

La-based metallic
glass balloon

Amorphous alloy
ribbon for magneticheads

Micro gear made ofmetallic glass

Model showing the relationshipbetween components of Sendustand permeability

Amorphous magnetic
alloysBicycle gear wheel madeof nanocrystalline
amorphous alloy powder

Metallurgical microscope: Invention of Murakami
Reagent improves metallographic analysis

Corrosion resistance test samples of Cr-Mo steel

Co-Elinvar
hairsprings

Inorganic fiber fabricated frompolycarbosilane

Self-winding wristwatch with
Diaflex and Co-Elinvar

Spiral wire (top) and power spring
made of Diaflex (down)Standardruler madeby StainlessInvar

Silicon Carbide (SiC) fiber

Al-based amorphous powder
compacts by warm extrusion

Springs
made ofCo-ElinvarandDiaflex

Digital Signage

KS Magnet SteelPhotographs of Dr. Albert Einstein and Emperor Hirohito when they visited
IMR, and various laboratory equipment.

Dendritic
Piston ring made of
Titanium Crystals the Sendait metal

1932

The Memorial Exhibition Room displays over 50 inventions and lab instruments from the institute’s history.
Explore a century of IMR’ s historic achievements, from the fundamental to the applied.

The first domestically
produced seamlessmetal bellows

Research Products

IMR’s Materials Science:serving society and changing the worldTensile test piece for Japanesesword ”Shinbu-tō”

KS magnet steel (back), new KS magnet steel (front)