Chūhachi Ninomiya
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was a Japanese aviation pioneer. He is remembered for his unique aircraft designs - the "Karasu-gata mokei hikouki" ("Crow-type model aircraft", 1891) and the "Tamamushi-gata hikouki" ("
Jewel beetle Buprestidae is a family of beetles known as jewel beetles or metallic wood-boring beetles because of their glossy iridescent colors. Larvae of this family are known as flatheaded borers. The family is among the largest of the beetles, with some ...
type flyer", 1893). He designed a flying machine with three engines earlier than the
Wright brothers The Wright brothers, Orville Wright (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur Wright (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were American aviation List of aviation pioneers, pioneers generally credited with inventing, building, and flyin ...
, it contributed to Japan's accumulation of capabilities to design and manufacture aircraft by the 1930s.


Early life

Chūhachi was born in Yawatahama-ura, Uwa District,
Iyo Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan in the area of northwestern Shikoku.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Tosa''" in . Iyo bordered on Sanuki Province to the northeast, Awa Province (Tokushima), Awa to the east ...
(now
Yawatahama, Ehime is a city located in of Ehime Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 31,385 in 15,638 households and a population density of 240 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Yawatahama is located in the ...
). At the age of 12, his father, a local merchant, died, forcing him to take up a job to make a living. While working at a printing office, drug store, and elsewhere, he taught himself physics and chemistry. He also became an expert at making
kite A kite is a tethered heavier than air flight, heavier-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create Lift (force), lift and Drag (physics), drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. Kites often have ...
s and the sale of his original models earned him money for books.


Idea for flying

In 1887 Chūhachi was conscripted into the
Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
. In November 1889, during maneuvers, he saw crows gliding and noticed that they did not flap. He developed the idea of
fixed wing A fixed-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air aircraft, such as an airplane, which is capable of flight using aerodynamic lift. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft (in which a rotor mounted on a spinning shaft generates ...
aircraft. Chūhachi made his first model, "Karasu-gata mokei hikouki"(, "Crow-type model aircraft"). This was also the first
model aircraft A model aircraft is a physical model of an existing or imagined aircraft, and is built typically for display, research, or amusement. Model aircraft are divided into two basic groups: flying and non-flying. Non-flying models are also termed s ...
in Japan. It was a
monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...
, with a wingspan of 45 centimetres. The wing was at a dihedral angle. The four-blade pusher
propeller A propeller (often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon a working flu ...
, inspired from a
bamboo-copter The bamboo-copter, also known as the bamboo dragonfly or Chinese top ( Chinese ''zhuqingting'' (竹蜻蜓), Japanese ''taketonbo'' ), is a toy helicopter rotor that flies up when its shaft is rapidly spun. This helicopter-like top originated in ...
, was driven by a rubber band. The model was equipped with a
horizontal stabilizer A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabilizer, is a small lifting surface located on the tail ( empennage) behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed-wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyroplan ...
at its tail, and a
vertical stabilizer A vertical stabilizer or tail fin is the static part of the vertical tail of an aircraft. The term is commonly applied to the assembly of both this fixed surface and one or more movable rudders hinged to it. Their role is to provide control, sta ...
at its nose. It had three wheels as
landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for taxiing, takeoff or landing. For aircraft, it is generally needed for all three of these. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, s ...
. On 29 April 1891 the model ran 3 metres after which it took off and flew 10 metres. The next day, it flew about 36 metres with a hand-launch. His second model was "Tamamushi-gata hikouki"(, "Jewel beetle type flyer"), a tailless
biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...
. The lower wing, which was smaller than the upper, was movable: control surface. The model was also equipped with a four-blade pusher propeller. Chūhachi failed to attract the interest of the Army. During the period he only made scale models (wingspan: 2 metres) in October 1893. Chūhachi served in
First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 189417 April 1895), or the First China–Japan War, was a conflict between the Qing dynasty of China and the Empire of Japan primarily over influence in Joseon, Korea. In Chinese it is commonly known as th ...
as a combat medic. After the war, he retired from the army and worked at a pharmaceutical company. He decided to develop a flying machine on his own. Until he became the branch manager in 1906, development stagnated for lack of money. During this period, the
Wright brothers The Wright brothers, Orville Wright (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur Wright (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were American aviation List of aviation pioneers, pioneers generally credited with inventing, building, and flyin ...
succeeded with a manned flight. But Chūhachi did not hear the news. He built the whole hull of the "Tamamushi model" and planned to equip it with a 12 hp gasoline engine. However, in 1907 or 1908, he learned of the success of manned flights of heavier-than-air aircraft in Europe and America. He despaired and stopped development. Some experts insist that the "Tamamushi model" would not have flown even if it were completed, since it was just too heavy. In April 1991 a replica of the "Tamamushi model", with alterations to improve stability, successfully flew a distance of 50 meters (136 feet).


Later life

He concentrated on his work at the pharmaceutical company . In 1915 he founded dedicated to people who have died in aviation accidents. In 1921, lieutenant general
Yoshinori Shirakawa Baron was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army. He died from injuries caused by a bomb set by Korean independence activist Yun Bong-gil in Shanghai. Biography Early life and education Shirakawa was born as the third son of an ex-''samurai'' ...
surveyed Chūhachi's plan and recognized the value. In 1922, the Army commended him. Minister
Adachi Kenzo Adachi may refer to: People * Adachi (surname) * Adachi clan, a family of samurai * Adachi Ginkō, 19th-century Japanese artist * Tohru Adachi, a fictional character from ''Persona 4'' Places * Adachi, Tokyo, a special ward of Tokyo, Japan * ...
(in 1925), and
Prince Kuni Kuniyoshi was a member of the Imperial Household of Japan, Japanese imperial family and a Field Marshal (Japan), field marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Meiji period, Meiji and Taishō periods. He was the father of Empress Kōjun (who in tu ...
(in 1926) also commended him. In 1927, he was awarded
order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...
. In his last years, he became a
kannushi , also called , is the common term for a member of the clergy at a responsible for maintaining the shrine and leading worship of the there.* ''Kannushi'' (in Japanese), Iwanami Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version The chara ...
(priest of
shinto , also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...
) to pray for dead people who were killed in aviation accidents. Chūhachi died of stomach cancer on 8 April 1936.


See also

* Kokichi Ukita *
Ryōichi Yazu was a Japanese inventor. He is best known for his invention of Japan's first mechanical calculator. Birth and education Ryōichi Yazu was born in Buzen, Fukuoka as the son of a village mayor. He attended primary and middle school in his home vi ...


References


External links


Photo of 1/10 model of
Chūhachi Ninomiya's
buprestidae Buprestidae is a family (biology), family of beetles known as jewel beetles or metallic wood-boring beetles because of their glossy Iridescence, iridescent colors. Larvae of this family are known as flatheaded borers. The family is among the lar ...
type airplane (driven by
balance spring A balance spring, or hairspring, is a spring attached to the balance wheel in mechanical timepieces. It causes the balance wheel to oscillate with a resonant frequency when the timepiece is running, which controls the speed at which the wheels ...
) display at
Modern Transportation Museum The was the corporate museum operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) in Minato-ku, Osaka, Japan. It opened on 21 January 1962, next to Bentencho Station on the Osaka Loop Line. The collection included steam locomotives, electric locomo ...

/ http://chuhachi.netcrew.co.jp/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ninomiya, Chuhachi 1866 births 1936 deaths Japanese inventors Aviation pioneers People from Yawatahama, Ehime Deaths from stomach cancer