ISIJ International, Vol. 37 (1 997), No. 12, pp. 1258-1 262 R"io ~ 140 Years of Blast Furnace lronmaking in Japan (lron- and Steelmaking on Postcards) Manfred M. WOLF Wolftechnology, Dolderstrasse 40, CH-8032Zurich, Switzerland. (Received on May23. 1997.• accepted in final form on August 22. /997) lron- and steelmaking motives on stampsand postcards can stimulate the interest in historical metallurgy. In the present instance, such illustrative documentation brings about the commemorationof the 140th anniversary of blast furnace ironmaking in Japan. KEYWORDS:historical metallurgy; early blast furnace works in Japan. hundred outlined in pertinent articles, l. Introduction years ago-as e.g. Refs. 3), 4). Thereafter, several attempts were madeto In our times of profound structure changesin the steei ralse productivity by meansof Western blast furnace industry, the study of "Historical Metallurgy" mayhelp technology andbasedonlumpore, of which the historical to foster the understanding of the "kinetics" of technical and technical backgroundwasreviewed recently in detail change. Such study is often stimulated by pictorial by Tate et al.4) documentation. For instance, this author being an avid A glance on Fig. I with the 1957 Centenary stamp on collector of stamps and picture postcards showing a "first day cover" (FDC) tells us that, presently, the iron- and steelmaking motives, feels attracted to study first of these attempts looks back to a 140 years' history. the "biography" of plants andequipmentshownon such The FDC-insert issued by the Postal Ministry pictures documentationl'2)-as briefiy illustrated by the example the two parts of this stamp in greater detail, Fig. 2: the of early ironmaklng in Japan. 10wer picture (referring to the right-hand portion of the stamp in Fig, l) presents the sketch of the early twin blast furnace built the Kamaishi Mines and started 2. Early Blast Furnace lronmaking in Japan near operation in December1857.5) The complete sketch, Early ironmaking in Japan by the so-called "Tatara" shownin Fig. 3, reveals the layout of the whole plant.6) process, based on iron sand, dates back to about three In 1857, Japan did not yet entertain an open policy of ~'$ ' !)*i,:* f'f ;** i,,:"', i !i;sF Fig. 1. Centenary ironmaklng stamp (dated DecemberOIst, 1957) on first day cover. @1997 ISIJ 1258 ISIJ International, Vol. 37 (1997), No. 12 foreign interchange (Edo-Period). Thus, to satisfy the technology, his furnace design was primarily based on growing need for pig iron, the pioneer Takato Oshima, information derived from an 1826 treatise compiled by retainer to the daimyo of Narnbu, chose the ore-rich U. Huguenin on Flamish cannon foundry technology, Kamaishi area to construct a first Western style blast practiced at Li~ge.4's) As Fig. 3 clearly brings about, furnace plant located in the Ohashi-district in lwate the use of water powerfor wheel driven blowers wasone Prefecture. Through his contact with Dutch science and novelty (when compared with the manpower driven blowers of the old ironmaking technology by the "Tatara" method); and, obviously, manual charging applied by carrying the burden over an inclined ladder up to the top of these small (1 t/d) furnaces. A total of up to twelve furnaces wasthus operated in the Kamaishi ~~ area, with an aggregate capacity of 4500t/a.4) However, in 1868, the Japanese feudal system had collapsed which also put an end to this first ironmaking venture. For revitalisation of the plant, the Meiji Gov- ernment then re-commencedoperation at Kamaishi in 1880, based on equipment Imported from Britain,4'6) Fig. 4. This showsthe (at that time) modern"Scottish- ~~~~ style" furnace design, i.e. free, steel-clad shaft; ^~~~ a and a ~~ ;:~: vertical (elevator-type) hoist for lifting the burden material in boogies to the top where they were dis- the =•*~i ~~ charged manually. =: c> *,~~ works plagued s- ~~) ,~iS~? ~i~* ~' :~ ~ As were by a '*jj ~~;~~:S;:~c~,;.~~~~i ~~';~~:~~~{s*,~!. '~~;)~~i~t~~~~, ~~* number of failures, they had to be closed again in 1882. .~~- Soonafter, ownership was transferred to the private iX~~.~~~~~~i =1~: entrepreneur Chobei Tanakawho, then, constructed ~ a r small blast furnace of his design (in the ~~ Lf-~~~:~t~ own more ~;~ ~~ ' traditional square and stone-framed build-up, the ~s ~ so-called "Walloon-" "Belgran-style") Fig. 5. After ~~~ or efforts, finally '~:;~ , assiduous he succeededin ironmaking by Z:i*' ~~ ; "I?-~' ,t ~ supplied pig iron the i~ l886 and to Government's arsenals *~* ~l; which already used open-hearth furnaces for steelmak- ~ ~~~ ing.6) Thefavorable location close to the Kamaishi mines in lwate, whereiron ore fields had been discovered in 1727, continued to support iron- and steelmaking in this area, Fig. 2. Detailed picture of stamp in Fig, l. Fig. '~until recently when the mines were closed on '~~e~:~~~:~_i'-P~_~"_ ~~ "r-'/ ~ ~~ ~ '~~~'\ ' ~ ' 'TT~~-4:':~\' i \'+ \~\ ~l~~'~"~ L:~\~ "F "~" /"=- ' ' +.JJI ~;'i/~:':/F~~j~~':=~~~:~~:7jf~'~i-'_' ~~\"'~~~~'[ ~LJ~/ "i' * } j ~~ - /k/~~-~~~)f:)~~T;:rriil~J '====~9) +"~ '~ ~~~~~~~--~~ ~ LJft/~ ~~+*'j~ ~ . i ~ , ~J . ~~'\ //"/ /I{ , ~J l' ~("'i~~ ':~ ~' ' : '/ 'i//;!/'i~\~:j:Si!::i:::'{i;f~::;-: f;'~::iijtl /' ;' ' '/~'F_ ' ~ ;hr'j':S~_ ' ' ~\~~-SJ / i~l}~ h,~ ' l~~4(~~~~ J~~ }'~~~l~l~~~f_;Lt:~s~~~~l._,p4/~i'/; ~l '=~_ ~")'~r':~~;f~~~;_-1]"L:~~i:~it' i'~8a .~{.i 1-~ "~~)jl ~ t~;'~ " I ~.,/ _'p-~4'~~/"'-'~~'_:~.~~_~_"'~:"~~l __ -( ~~~ --~ .~ ,. Fig. 3. Sketch of ru'st blast furnace plant at Kamaishi, rrom Ref. 6). 1259 @1997 ISIJ ISIJ [nternational. Vol. 37 (1997), No. 12 ~? ~~~~~ ~ : r=~ XA~,AISHI i ;; Fig. 6. Postcard of Kamaishi Works(dated SeptemberOlst, Frg 4. Sketch of Governmentowned,-5t/d blast fumace at 1955). Kamaishi Works.c,) Fig. 7. Postcard of ironworks at Muroran (undated). Fig. 5. Small blast furnace at the Tanaka lronworks at Kamalshl.6) commentedupon: 19937). March 19, while iron- and steelmaking ceased in e after No,1 BF (supplied by GHH)had started on 1990 already.8) Earlier, in 1934, the Governmenthad February 05, 1901 (4.0 mhearth diameter, 493m3inner formed the Japan lron & Steel Co. Ltd. by merging volume, and 160t/d output), totally six furnaces were Kamaishi Workswith the Wanishi lronworks at Muro- built til] 1921-initially with the traditional vertical ran and the Yawata lron and Steelworks. The blast hoist for burden lifting (Figs. 8a8c); the later three furnaces at Muroran, Fig. 7 again show the typical then of "American-style", i,e, inclined hoist (with fully "Scottish-style" which, then, prevailed in general. mechanlzedcharging and emptylng of skips) as well The key works of early iron- and steelmaking were as eachstove equipped with an individua] off-gas stack, Iocated in Yawata(at Kukioka), bui]t by the Government characteristic to the early American hot stove design in 1901-this time close to the rich Chikuho coal fields (Figs. 8d, 8e); these furnaces were-after manymod- of Kita-Kyushu. The equipment was procured from ifications-gradually shut-down between 1952 and Germany, mostly from Gute-Hoffnungshutte (GHH) l972; where also several Japaneseengineers had been trained. the open-hearth furnace shop (supplied by GHH) In this context, it is noteworthy that Professor Kageyoshi consisted originally of 12 units wlth 25t each (Figs. Noro, Iater the first president of ISIJ, had-after 9a-9c), the first starting on May30, 1901; and the graduation from the University of Tokyo under the whole shop shut-down in 1952; Germandepartment head Professor Curt Netto-con- e in the Bessemerplant (supplied by Demag), the two tinued his studies at Bergakademie Freiberg under Lmits of IOt each (Figs. 9d, 9e) were started on Professor Adolf Ledebur. Returning in 1889, he himself Novemberl'_, 1901 and January 24, 1902 respectively; educated manyengineers in metallurgy at the Universi- and shut downin 1927. ty of Tokyo. He also helped to improve ironmaking (The latter units remind us that Japan's first LD- technology at the Yawata blast furnaces (temporarily converter had started operation at Yawata's Kukioka shut-down in 1902/03), reducing coke consumption from Works in September 1957, i.e. just 40 years from l 700kg/t In 1901 to I 100kg/t in 1905.6) now.9'10)) The Yawata Works were most prolific in issuing But, back to Figs. I and 2: the stamp's other halfand postcards. Fromthe few seiected examplesof whole series magnified detall showthein 1957 most modern-of all available, the following features in Figs. 8/9 are to be Japaneseblast furnaces, i.e. No. 4BFat Hirohata Works C 1997 ISIJ 1260 ISIJ International. Vol. 37 (1997), No. 12 (a) (a) (b) (b) (c ) (c) (d) (d) (e) (e) Fig. 9. Poslc2lrcis of (a)(c) open-hearth rurnace shop includin_~ scrap yard ((~t) dalcd Junc 23rd, 1908; Fig. 8. Postcards of (a) (c) early blast furnaces, and (d), (e) (b). (c) undated), 2lnd of' (d). (c) Bessemer-shop ~1lso later ones at Yawata(undated). (unclated) ~ll Y~lwtlla 1261 (j';= 1997 ISIJ ISIJ International, Vol. 37 (1 997), No. 12 of Fuji lron & Steel Co., founded in 1936 at Himeji and REFERENCES cornpleted within two of construction time only.6) years l) M. M. Wolf: Stah! Eisen, I13 (1993), No. 6, 144. This furnace is (inner 64mhigh volume I OOOm3),and 2) M. M. Wolf: Stee! Times, 223 (1995), 236. had an output of I OOOtld. Again, these units were of 3) S. Ohashi: Tetsu-to-Hagani, 73 (1987), 1443. imported design-this time from the United States. 4) M. Tate, M. Sasabeand M. Tokuda: I,'onmaking Conf. P,'oc., 50 1), Recently, the Hirohata blast furnaces ceased operation (199 Reprint. 5) K. Okada: Tetsu-to-Hagan~, 73 (1987), 1622. entirely and replaced by innovative, were an converter- 6) S. Toyoda: Progress of Japanese Steelmaking Technology, based melting fossil scrap process with fuel-in the never Paper presented at the SEAISI Annual General Meeting.