Tachu Naito
Encyclopedia
Yamanashi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Kōfu.-Pre-history to the 14th century:People have been living in the Yamanashi area for about 30,000 years...
, Minami-Alps, Yamanashi. He was a father of earthquake-proof design
Seismic analysis
Seismic Analysis is a subset of structural analysis and is the calculation of the response of a building structure to earthquakes...
and built many broadcasting
Radio masts and towers
Radio masts and towers are, typically, tall structures designed to support antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. They are among the tallest man-made structures...
and observation
Observation tower
An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision. They are usually at least tall and made from stone, iron, and wood. Many modern towers are also used as TV towers, restaurants, or churches...
towers, including the Tokyo Tower
Tokyo Tower
is a communications and observation tower located in Shiba Park, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. At , it is the second tallest artificial structure in Japan. The structure is an Eiffel Tower-inspired lattice tower that is painted white and international orange to comply with air safety regulations.Built in...
.
Biography
Tachū Naitō attended the Old System Kofu Middle School (presently Yamanashi Prefectural Kofu First High School), he passed high school, then attended the Tokyo Imperial University (presently the University of TokyoUniversity of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
). Natiō started out studying naval architecture
Naval architecture
Naval architecture is an engineering discipline dealing with the design, construction, maintenance and operation of marine vessels and structures. Naval architecture involves basic and applied research, design, development, design evaluation and calculations during all stages of the life of a...
, but then turned to architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
due to the shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
depression after the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
. He studied with Kino Toshikata and graduated in 1910. In 1913, he became a professor at Waseda University
Waseda University
, abbreviated as , is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan and Asia. Its main campuses are located in the northern part of Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as Tokyo Senmon Gakko, the institution was renamed "Waseda University" in 1902. It is known for its liberal climate...
.
In 1916, he went to America as an international student where he devised his seismic theory of the earthquake-proof wall. While on the First Transcontinental Railroad
First Transcontinental Railroad
The First Transcontinental Railroad was a railroad line built in the United States of America between 1863 and 1869 by the Central Pacific Railroad of California and the Union Pacific Railroad that connected its statutory Eastern terminus at Council Bluffs, Iowa/Omaha, Nebraska The First...
, he made observations about the movements of the luggage depending on the trains acceleration after noticing the scattered trunks when the train made sudden stops. The lack of partitions in the luggage compartment and the disarray of the trunks led him to the structural idea of the earthquake-proof wall, effectively a shear wall
Shear wall
In structural engineering, a shear wall is a wall composed of braced panels to counter the effects of lateral load acting on a structure. Wind and earthquake loads are the most common loads braced wall lines are designed to counteract...
.
Using the seismic structural theory that he devised, he engineered the Industrial Bank of Japan
Industrial Bank of Japan
The , based in Tokyo, Japan, was one of the largest banks in the world during the latter half of the 20th century.It combined with Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank and Fuji Bank in 2002 to form Mizuho Financial Group.- History :...
's main office which was designed by Setsu Watanabe. Three months after the building's completion in 1923, the Great Kantō earthquake
1923 Great Kanto earthquake
The struck the Kantō plain on the Japanese main island of Honshū at 11:58:44 am JST on September 1, 1923. Varied accounts hold that the duration of the earthquake was between 4 and 10 minutes...
happened. This structure withstood the damage and Naitō included this fact in his lectures as the effectiveness of his earthquake-proof design theory had been proven.
Other than the Industrial Bank of Japan, he worked on the Kabuki-za
Kabuki-za
' in Ginza was the principal theater in Tokyo for the traditional kabuki drama form.-Architecture:The original Kabuki-za was a wooden structure, built in 1889 on land which had been either the Tokyo residence of the Hosokawa clan of Kumamoto, or that of Matsudaira clan of Izu.The building was...
and the Okuma auditorium. Naitō designed many broadcasting towers as well, the Nagoya TV Tower
Nagoya TV tower
The is an electric wave tower in Nagoya, central Japan.- History :It is the oldest TV tower in Japan, and was completed in 1954. It is located in the centre of Hisaya Ōdori Park. The tower is 180 metres high, and has two main observation decks at the heights of 90 metres and 100 metres...
in 1954, the Tsutenkaku
Tsutenkaku
, lit. "Tower Reaching Heaven", owned by Tsūtenkaku Kanko Co., Ltd. is a well-known landmark of Osaka, Japan and advertises Hitachi. It is located in the Shinsekai district of Naniwa-ku, Osaka....
in 1956, the Sapporo TV Tower
Sapporo TV Tower
The , built in 1957, is a 147.2 metre high TV Tower with an observation deck at a height of 90.38 metres. Located on the ground of Odori Park, in the northern city of Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan, the tower is open to tourists...
and Beppu Tower
Beppu Tower
is a 100-metre-tall lattice tower located in Beppu, Ōita, Japan. Initially built to help boost tourism in the area, today the tower is primarily used as TV transmission tower...
in 1957, and the Tokyo Tower
Tokyo Tower
is a communications and observation tower located in Shiba Park, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. At , it is the second tallest artificial structure in Japan. The structure is an Eiffel Tower-inspired lattice tower that is painted white and international orange to comply with air safety regulations.Built in...
in 1958.
Tachū Naitō has held many positions and was recognized with many awards throughout his career. In 1938, he became the chairman of the welding
Welding
Welding is a fabrication or sculptural process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence. This is often done by melting the workpieces and adding a filler material to form a pool of molten material that cools to become a strong joint, with pressure sometimes...
academy. In 1941 he was named the chair of the architectural academy and in 1954 became member of the Science Council of Japan. Naitō became a member of the Japan Academy in 1960 and he was awarded a distinction for cultural merit in 1962 and the second-class Order of the Rising Sun
Order of the Rising Sun
The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese Government, created on April 10, 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight from the rising sun...
in 1964.
On August 25, 1970 at 9:05 AM, Tachū Naitō died in the National Tokyo First Hospital, now the International Medical Center of Japan, at 84 years of age. His remains were buried in the graveyard of the Naitō family in Tamareien Cemetery. His epitaph is on the right side, and a bronze statue is on the left.
External links
神戸新聞 正平調（2003年8月30日） http://www.kobe-np.co.jp/seihei/030830ln13330.html 歴史が眠る多磨霊園 内藤多仲 http://www6.plala.or.jp/guti/cemetery/PERSON/N/naitou_t.html タワフル(TOWERFUL) コラム 塔博士 http://www2.odn.ne.jp/yoko-tower/column/tou-hakase/column-tou-hakase.htm Hiro Satoshi Noguchi, Tachu Naito Exhibition in Ginza, 16 October 2006 http://journal.mycom.co.jp/news/2006/10/16/320.html- Tokyo Art Beat review of Birth of Towers: Tachu Naito and a Tale of Three Towers http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/event/2006/A94B