The New York herald., 1922-07-30
Gave Largely of
His Time and
Means to Bring,
His Native and
Adopted Lands
To a Better Un-
derstanding.
BY JOSEPH /. c. CLARKE.


"A long friendship with DR.. Jokichi
Takamine. the distinguished master
and discoverer in the region Of organi2
chemistry. beginning years before my
trip to Japan, had convinced me that
there was certainly one Japanese gen.
tleman and savant in the world.
His letters of introduction when I de-
cided on the Far Eastern trip opened
doors to me everywhere in Japan.
Thus ! met the best of their public
and prominent men on a pleasant foot
ing and obtained a hundred facilities
in looking around me-"
Meager indeed seems that reference
now in the way Of tribute to his
scientific eminence and to the sweet
and gracious elements Of his character
and wanting altogether in characteriz-
ing the princely generosity which
marked him entirely apart from any
of his fellow countrymen in America
\ that I ever met.
AS the story of his life is briefly un-
folded these conclusions will, / know,
become compellingly clear.
Jokichi Takamine was born Novem-
ber 8, 1854, at Takaoka. in the prov
ince of Kaga, Japan, the first son o.
DR.. Seichi Takamine and his wife.
Yuki. Of a family OF noble samurai
of the Kanazawa clan. His father was
physician to the Prince of Kaga, and
the boy was educated with all the ad-
vantages of his parents position.
Exhibiting marked excellence in his
studies. he was finally entered as a
student at the engineering college OF
the Imperial University of Toxic,
whence he was graduated in 1879. His
high standing in his class marked him
out for selection as a Government stu
dent to be sent abroad in the new
passion of Japan to acquire and as
simulate all Occidental learning.
Progress Had to Await
Overthrow of Shogunate
Commodore Perry's American ships
in 1853 had laid the tempting progress
of the world before Japan, but it was
necessary to wait until the overthrow
of the Shogunate in 1868 and the
coming to power of the Mikado in the
person of the great Emperor Meiji
before Japan, growing ever more
eager Tor Western science, was able
to send out the flower Of it's youth in
it's quest. What great fruit they
brought home may be glimpsed in u
thousand directions in Japan, but no.
where more so than in the career OF
the young Jckichi. One in thou
sand he may have been, but true dis
coverers are even rarer than that.
Say. Britain, could you ever boast
Three poets in an age at most?
AS Government student Jokichi
spent three years, 1S79-1Ss1. at the
University of Glasgow and the Ander
sonian University of Glasgow, study
ing chemistry, mostly on its organic
side. He returned to Japan, where he
introduced great improvements in the
manufacture of sake and synthetic
indigo and in the general use of fer
ments, having been appointed chief
chemist to the Imperial Department
of Agriculture and Commerce of
Toxic, which position he held until
1884. when he was appointed Japan
ese Commissioner to the Cotton Cen
tennial Exposition at New Orleans.
The young scientist, then in his
twenty ninth year, not only won the
esteem of the scientists OF America,
but succeeded in a bold enterprise Of
the heart when he won Miss Caroline
Hitch, the eldest of a galaxy Of beauti-
full sisters OF well known New Or
leans family; as his bride. The latter
feat really determined the lines along
which he was to develop what I have
already alluded to as his double oevo-
ton to Japan and to America and for
warding the mutual union of the inter-
ests of both.