was a Japanese Rear-Admiral and

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

.
He was the only person who was posted as a director of the Torpedo Development Division in

Yokosuka Naval District was the first of four main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included Tokyo Bay and the Pacific coasts of central and northern Honshū from the Kii Peninsula to Shimokita Peninsula. Its headquarters, a ...

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...

. He and his team designed and developed

Type 91 torpedo The Type 91 was an aerial torpedo of the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was in service from 1931 to 1945. It was used in naval battles in World War II and was specially developed for attacks on ships in shallow harbours. The Type 91 aerial torped ...

used in

naval warfare Naval warfare is combat in and on the sea, the ocean, or any other battlespace involving a major body of water such as a large lake or wide river. Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Even in the interior of large la ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Early life and education

Seiji Naruse was born as the second son of

Viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...

Masayasu Naruse Masayasu is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: * Hotta Masayasu (1848–1911), Japanese politician * Inaba Masayasu (1640–1684), Japanese feudal lord *Masayasu Wakabayashi is a Japanese comedian, television ...

on December 26, 1893 in Yokohama, Japan. His father, Masayasu was president of “The 15 Bank” and was also managing other banks and companies. Thus, he grew up in a wealthy environment with his brothers ( Seiichi Naruse, Shunsuke Naruse etc), and graduated First Higher School ( :jp:第一高等学校 (旧制)). He studied in Tokyo Imperial University (now University of Tokyo), and majored Weapons Technology in Faculty of Engineering. In 1920 he graduated Tokyo Imperial University and entered

as an

Engineer officer An engineering officer can be a Merchant Navy engineer or a commissioned officer with responsibility for military engineering, typically used in the British Armed Forces. In the Royal Navy, Engineering Officers are responsible for the materi ...

Military career

Seiji Naruse started his military career on July 21 (1920) in

as an engineer of naval weapons. Then, he was promoted to the position of assistant division chief at the

Kure Naval Arsenal was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. History The Kure Naval District was established at Kure, Hiroshima in 1889, as the second of the naval districts responsible for the defense of the J ...

on December 23, 1922. The year 1925 was a major turning point for him. He was promoted to the position of development management officer in the

Imperial Japanese Navy Technical Department The was the externally operating division of the Ministry of the Navy of Japan responsible for the administration of naval vessel construction. From 1923 onward, it took on the role of a research institution for the research and development of n ...

, and sent to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

from May 20, 1925 to October 15, 1926. The purpose of this tour of duty was obtaining aerial torpedo technology, which did not exist in Japan at that time. Therefore, he diligently visited arsenals in the UK. After he returned, he began a project to develop the first (and last) domestic

Aerial torpedo An aerial torpedo (also known as an airborne torpedo or air-dropped torpedo) is a torpedo launched from a torpedo bomber aircraft into the water, after which the weapon propels itself to the target. First used in World War I, air-dropped torped ...

. He started development of this aerial torpedo at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal on May 1, 1927. On December 1 (1930), he moved to the Combined Fleet for the examination of the prototype. Finally, he engaged the production and subsequent deployment of the completed “

” as the development management officer in the

from December 1, 1931. He and his team continuously improved the Type 91 torpedo at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal (from December 1, 1932), the Kure Naval Arsenal (from July 1, 1936), and the

Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal had many names, each depending on the period of its existence, and the circumstances at that time. Many of the names were acronyms that were derived from its military name or designation, which changed from time to time. The arsenal was sometim ...

(from June 15, 1940). There were multiple revisions. On April 1 (1943), the Imperial Japanese Navy created the Torpedo Development Division for him, and he worked as the director of this new division until the end of World War II. During the World War II, the Type 91 torpedo was used as a main weapon for

Naval warfare Naval warfare is combat in and on the sea, the ocean, or any other battlespace involving a major body of water such as a large lake or wide river. Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Even in the interior of large la ...

, affixed to and deployed from the underbelly of aircraft.

Dates of Rank

* Lieutenant Junior Grade (July 21, 1920) *

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

(December 1, 1922) *

Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

(December 1, 1927) *

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

(November 15, 1933) *

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

(November 15, 1938) *

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

(May 1, 1944)

Post war

On September 30 (1945), with the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (following the

Surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ...

), Seiji Naruse retired from his post. After retirement, he managed to convert the defunct arsenal site for Japan's post-war industrial recovery. Tokyu Car Corporation was a notable user of this site. In 1952, along with the foundation of the

Technical Research and Development Institute Technical may refer to: * Technical (vehicle), an improvised fighting vehicle * Technical analysis, a discipline for forecasting the future direction of prices through the study of past market data * Technical drawing, showing how something is co ...

within the National Safe Agency, he worked at the 5th Research Center and handed his torpedo technology and expertise onto the next generation.

Personal life

Seiji Naruse married Sumi Nakamura (January 26, 1900 – December 23, 1994), who was a daughter of

Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Yūjirō Nakamura ( :jp:中村雄次郎).
Together, they had three children.Biography "Sei-ichi Naruse (2)"
Y. Sekiguchi,

Bunkyo University is a private university located in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan, with campuses in Saitama and Kanagawa Prefecture. The kanji of the word "Bunkyo" mean education and learning. The university offers courses mainly in education and research of the c ...

, 2006

Family

*Father:

(

, president of “The 15 Bank”) *Older brother: Seiichi Naruse (Writer, Professor of French Literature in Kyushu University) *Younger brother: Shunsuke Naruse (

Diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

)

References

Bibliography

* "Record of Aerial Torpedo Development (航空魚雷ノート)", Kyu-ichi Kai, 1985 {{DEFAULTSORT:Naruse, Seiji 1893 births 1960 deaths Imperial Japanese Navy admirals Japanese admirals of World War II 20th-century Japanese engineers