Hello everyone!
The New Year has finally begun!
We look forward to working with you again this year!
Let's take a look at "Nichiman" today!
Nichiman Industry Co.
日満工業株式会社（Nichiman kougyou kabusikigaisya）
Nichiman Kogyo Limited Partnership at the time of its founding
Motoharu Goto, commander of the 3rd Aviation Battalion.
Motoharu Goto, a former colonel in the Japanese Army, founded the company in February 1933 with the intention of devoting the remainder of his life after retirement from the army to doing something that would benefit the country and society.
The company mainly produced electrical components for automobiles.
Mark of Nichiman Kogyo Limited Partnership
Motoharu Goto, President and Representative Director.
Prototype of large-sized aviation goggles
In 1935, he was asked by the Akabane Clothing Arsenal of the Japanese Army if he would be interested in making aviation dust goggles. From there, the company immediately began prototype research.
The aviation goggles used by Army aviators at that time were so-called "eggplant-type" goggles, and we made a prototype of the same type and delivered it to them.
However, the goggles had a narrow field of view and poor air circulation inside the goggles. In addition, because they were foreign-made imitations, they were not suitable for the nasal bridge of Japanese people. These factors often caused headaches, and the goggles needed to be improved as soon as possible.
President Motoharu Goto realized that these shortcomings were fatal obstacles in aerial combat, where every second counted, and began research and improvement.
He interviewed aviators directly to obtain their opinions and made improvements upon improvements.
After repeated prototyping, he completed his first satisfactory product in the fall of 1937.
He immediately brought it to the Army, but they did not take it up.
He then took it to the Navy, which gave him many opinions, but did not adopt it.
In the end, it was necessary to solve the problem of the viewing angle to the lower field of view.
Motoharu Goto, the president of the company, had been struggling day and night to solve this problem, and finally came up with a solution.
He immediately went to the Ueno Zoo.
Goto led his employees through the zoo gates and straight to the eagle's cage.
Goto stared at the eagle and began sketching its eyes. He continued to sketch the eagle's angry, piercing eyes, repeatedly drawing and tearing them out.
The team studied which shape of eagle's eye would help solve the problem of the goggles' downward vision. Inspired by the eagle's sharp eyesight as it stalked its prey from a high vantage point, the team added ingenuity and finally managed to eliminate all defects in the field of view.
Next was the problem of the air hole, which was solved by making a unique S-shape at the top.
After four years of work from 1935, the pair of eagle-eye type aviation goggles were completed in January 1939.
The design for the eyeglass wipe was drawn by President Motoharu Goto.
These eagle-eyed aviation goggles were delivered to the Navy and are now ready for mass production. The goggles were so well received that the Army also placed an order for them, but because the production facilities were still insufficient, only small quantities could be delivered to the Army.
On the other hand, prototypes of electro-thermal aviation goggles were also being developed. Two lenses were pasted together, and a thin dichrome wire was passed through the lenses to warm the lenses through an electric current to prevent them from freezing.
Needless to say, there were considerable difficulties in completing the project.
After the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the government's policy of expanding munitions-related production was concentrated on the heavy and chemical industries from September 1937.
Under these circumstances, the management of the company as a limited partnership became insufficient, and in November 1939, "Nichiman Industry Co.”
Mark of Nichiman Industry Co.
The company's mark was also changed, but the mark stamped on the aviation goggles remained the same as before.
Around 1940, the military, already seeing the Pacific War as inevitable, ordered the production of large numbers of aircraft in anticipation of a major air battle.
As a result, orders for Nichiman, which had a monopoly on the production of eagle-eyed aviation goggles, continued to increase, and it became difficult to keep up with orders.
The company decided to build an integrated aviation goggle workshop.
It was also necessary to increase the output of the subcontractor for the production of aviation goggles.
Therefore, in May 1941, the company provided a loan to East Asia Safety glass Manufacture Co.（東亜安全硝子製造株式会社）
Mark of East Asia Safety glass Manufacture Co.
At that time, the munitions industry was always busy with the expansion of facilities.
After the outbreak of the Pacific War, orders from the military increased even more, and the company found itself in a situation where it could not meet the demand.
The subcontractors could not keep up with production, so they had to make up the difference themselves. Since lens production was new to the company, several employees were sent to East Asia Safety Glass Manufacture Co. （東亜安全硝子製造株式会社）for a two-month apprenticeship to learn these skills.
Six months later, production was back on track.
Nichiman Industry Co., Ltd. continued to develop as a military industry through sales of electrical components and aviation goggles, but in 1945, the U.S. bombing raids on the mainland destroyed several of its factories.
The Pacific War, which lasted for four years until the end of the war, ended, but it also put Nichiman on a new and difficult path.
In order to make a fresh start from the ashes, Nichiman made preparations to rebuild itself as a civilian industrial company, focusing on the production of electrical components for automobiles.
On September 1, 1945, the company changed its name to "Nikko Electric Industry Co.
The name was chosen in the hope that it would contribute to postwar reconstruction and that the company's fortunes would flourish like the rising sun.
Mark of "Nikko Electric Industry Co.
There was no prospect of resumption of production, including by other companies.
In the midst of this situation, Nichiman received an order from the Tokyo Railway Bureau to produce curtains to be installed on trains for U.S. officers of the Occupation Forces.
The curtains were to be made of velvet fabric, a material used for aviation goggles, which Nichiman had produced as a unique product.
This led to another order for curtains for regular soldiers' trains.
In addition, the leather and cotton cloth used for aviation goggles were also used to produce geta (Japanese clogs) nose rings.
In the midst of the turmoil of the times, the company continued to produce household goods, but did not lose its ambition to be a manufacturer of electrical components.
All efforts bore fruit, and around March 1946, the company resumed production of electrical components.
This has continued to the present day.
Reference "Nikko Electric 30-year history"
Current headquarters and factory
Now let's take a look at goggles.
At first, we made eggplant-shaped goggles.
The eagle-eyed goggles were delivered starting in January 1939.
Colonel Minoru Genda (left) waits on the bridge of the aircraft carrier Akagi for the return from the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 8, 1941 (courtesy of his eldest son, Kenju Genda).
Saburo Sakai's flight helmet and eagle-eyed aviation goggles made by Nichiman donated to and displayed at the National Museum of the Pacific War in Texas, USA.
That's all for today.
Please look forward to the next installment.
※About ordering※
We manufacture the flight helmets, oxygen masks, receivers, etc. shown in the blog. Please contact us for production orders, film-related orders, etc.
ry.oide@nifty.com