was a Japanese

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe t ...

. He is known for being the first to isolate epinephrine in 1901.

Early life and education

Takamine was born in Takaoka,

Toyama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Toyama Prefecture has a population of 1,044,588 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,247.61 km2 (1,640.01 sq mi). Toyama Prefecture borders Ishikawa Prefecture to the ...

, in November 1854. His father was a doctor; his mother a member of a family of ''

sake Sake, also spelled saké ( ; also referred to as Japanese rice wine), is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and indee ...

'' brewers. He spent his childhood in

Kanazawa is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 466,029 in 203,271 households, and a population density of 990 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Overview Cityscape ...

, capital of present-day Ishikawa Prefecture in central Honshū, and was educated in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...

, and

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, graduating from the

Tokyo Imperial University , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...

in 1879. He did postgraduate work at

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

and Anderson College in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. He returned to Japan in 1883 and joined the division of chemistry at the newly established Department of Agriculture and Commerce. He learned

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

as a child from a Dutch family in

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole Nanban trade, port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hi ...

and so always spoke English with a Dutch accent. While in the US, Takamine was married to Caroline Field Hitch.Joan Bennet for Modern Drug Discovery. December, 2001
The Time Line: Adrenalin and cherry trees
/ref>

Career

Japan

Takamine continued to work for the department of agriculture and commerce until 1887. He then founded the Tokyo Artificial Fertilizer Company, where he later isolated the

enzyme Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products ...

takadiastase Takadiastase is a form of diastase A diastase (; from Greek διάστασις, "separation") is any one of a group of enzymes that catalyses the breakdown of starch into maltose. Alpha amylase degrades starch to a mixture of the disaccharide mal ...

, an enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of starch. Takamine developed his diastase from '' koji,'' a fungus used in the manufacture of soy sauce and ''

miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning. It is a thick paste produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and ''kōji'' (the fungus '' Aspergillus oryzae'') and sometimes rice, barley, seaweed, or other ingredients. It is used for sauces and spre ...

''. Its Latin name is '' Aspergillus oryzae'', and it is a "designated national fungus" (''kokkin'') in Japan.Pulvers, Roger,
Jokichi Takamine: a man with fire in his belly whatever the odds
, '' Japan Times'', June 28, 2009, p. 8. In 1899, Takamine was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Engineering by what is now the University of Tokyo.

United States

Takamine went as co-commissioner of the Cotton Exposition to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

in 1884, where he met Lafcadio Hearn and Caroline Hitch, his future wife. He later emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and established his own research laboratory in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

but licensed the exclusive production rights for Taka-diastase to one of the largest US pharmaceutical companies,

Parke-Davis Parke-Davis is a subsidiary of the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. Although Parke, Davis & Co. is no longer an independent corporation, it was once America's oldest and largest drug maker, and played an important role in medical history. In 1970 ...

. This turned out to be a shrewd move - he became a millionaire in a relatively short time and by the early 20th century was estimated to be worth $30 million. In 1901 he isolated and purified the

hormone A hormone (from the Greek participle , "setting in motion") is a class of signaling molecules in multicellular organisms that are sent to distant organs by complex biological processes to regulate physiology and behavior. Hormones are require ...

adrenaline Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine, is a hormone and medication which is involved in regulating visceral functions (e.g., respiration). It appears as a white microcrystalline granule. Adrenaline is normally produced by the adrenal glands an ...

(the first effective bronchodilator for

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...

) from animal glands, becoming the first to accomplish this for a glandular hormone. In 1894, Takamine applied for, and was granted, a patent titled "Process of Making Diastatic Enzyme" ()—the first patent on a microbial enzyme in the United States. In 1905 he founded the Nippon Club, which was for many years located at

161 West 93rd Street 161 West 93rd Street is a building on 93rd Street in Manhattan that was once the home of the Nippon Club, a gentlemen's club for Japanese Americans and Japanese nationals. The club, founded in 1905 by Jōkichi Takamine, first occupied a townhou ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. Takamine devoted his life to maintaining goodwill between the U.S. and Japan. Many of the beautiful cherry blossom trees in the

West Potomac Park West Potomac Park is a U.S. national park in Washington, D.C., adjacent to the National Mall. It includes the parkland that extends south of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, from the Lincoln Memorial to the grounds of the Washington Monum ...

surrounding the Tidal Basin in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

were donated by the mayor of Tokyo (

Yukio Ozaki was a Japanese people, Japanese politician of Liberalism, liberal signature, born in modern-day Sagamihara, Kanagawa. Ozaki served in the House of Representatives of the Japanese Diet for 63 years (1890–1953). He is still revered in Japan as t ...

) and Jokichi Takamine in 1912. The 1915 photo to the right presents Jōkichi Takamine as the host for a banquet honoring the visiting Japanese diplomat Baron Eiichi Shibusawa. This illustration is linked to Jōkichi Takamine's involvement in the gifting of the cherry blossom trees to Washington, D.C. in 1912, which has evolved into the

National Cherry Blossom Festival The National Cherry Blossom Festival is a spring celebration in Washington, D.C., commemorating the March 27, 1912, gift of Japanese cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo City to the city of Washington, D.C. Ozaki gave the trees to enhan ...

which is celebrated yearly. In 1904, the Emperor Meiji of Japan honored Takamine with an unusual gift. In the context of the St. Louis World Fair ( Louisiana Purchase Exposition), the Japanese government had replicated a historical Japanese structure, the "Pine and Maple Palace" (''Shofu-den''), modelled after the Kyoto Imperial Coronation Palace of 1,300 years ago. This structure was given to Dr. Takamine in grateful recognition of his efforts to further friendly relations between Japan and the United States. He had the structure transported in sections from

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

to his summer home in upstate New York, seventy-five miles north of

. In 1909, the structure served as a guest house for

Prince Kuni Kuniyoshi was a member of the Japanese imperial family and a field marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Meiji and Taishō periods. He was the father of Empress Kōjun (who in turn was the consort of the Emperor Shōwa), and therefore, the mat ...

and Princess Kuni of Japan, who were visiting the area. Although the property was sold in 1922, the reconstructed structure remained in its serene setting. In 2008, it still continues to be one of the undervalued tourist attractions of New York's Sullivan County. The Takamine home in Kanazawa can still be seen today. It was relocated to near the grounds of

Kanazawa Castle is a large, partially-restored Japanese castle in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. It is located adjacent to the celebrated Kenroku-en Garden, which once formed the castle's private outer garden. It was the headquarters of Kaga Domain, rul ...

in 2001. On April 18, 1985, the Japan Patent Office selected him as one of

Ten Japanese Great Inventors The system of industrial rights in Japan celebrated 100 years of its existence in 1985. In celebration of the one-hundredth anniversary of the Japanese system of industrial property rights, the Japan Patent Office selected ten great inventors wh ...

Depiction in film

Two films about the life of Takamine have been made. In the 2010 film ' directed by , Takamine was portrayed by

Masaya Kato is a Japanese actor from Nara in the Kansai region. Life and career He is currently attached to Burning Production. He stands at 183 centimeters. He practices martial arts and performs his own stunts in movies. Filmography Films *1988: ''Shiro ...

. A sequel titled '' Takamine'', also directed by Ichikawa and starring

Hatsunori Hasegawa is a Japanese actor who is known for his role as Takeshi Yamato in the 1980 '' Ultraman 80'' series. In this series, he is played the lead role as a school teacher who is also a UGM member. Filmography Drama series *1980: '' Ultraman 80'' *1994: ...

, was released in 2011.

References

;General
Biographical snapshots: Jokichi Takamine
''Journal of Chemical Education'' web site. * Hajime Hoshi. (1904)
''Handbook of Japan and Japanese Exhibits at World's Fair, St. Louis, 1904.''
St. Louis: Woodward and Tiernan Printing Co..

External links

* — Dr. Jokichi Takamine: Japanese father of American Biotechnology. * — Production of Microbial Enzymes and Their Applications.

Japan patent Office. * Radio program about the ‘father of American biotechnology’ who was never allowed to become an American citizen

{{DEFAULTSORT:Takamine, Jokichi 1854 births 1922 deaths Japanese inventors Japanese scientists 20th-century Japanese chemists Japanese expatriates in the United Kingdom Japanese expatriates in the United States People from Kanazawa, Ishikawa People from Toyama Prefecture Japanese emigrants to the United States University of Tokyo alumni Riken personnel Daiichi Sankyo people Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York) 19th-century Japanese chemists