STEM ≥ paint pigments in Japan
HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGY IN JAPAN -- A CASE STUDY?
#art #ukiyo-e #pigment #chemistry #chemie #metallurgy #metallurgie
For more than a century, the Nakagawa company has manufactured artists paints in Kyoto Prefecture. The company makes gofun (glue or adhesive) and pigments (iwa enogu and suihi enogu) for Nihonga (artwork created with traditional Japanese materials and methods). -- see Nakagawa, "Starting Nihonga" http://nakagawa-gofun.co.jp/english/begin/index.html
CASE STUDY. The history of one small company is an illustrative example of a process,. Nakagawa is a case study in the history of technology.
A. Nihonga art materials are traditionally hand-made. Paint is made in small quantities.
The quality of pigment powders varies.
B. Western machine manufacturing was adapted to increase the volume and of Nihonga pigments. This processing also made particle size standardization possible.
C. Scientific research and advances in technology made it possible to
• replicate traditional crushed powder pigments, and to
• increase the manufactured production output of Nihonga pigments, and to
• improve quality control for predictable standards of powder partical size in Nihonga pigments, and to
• mitigate worker safety problems associated with lead, and to
• eliminate environmental pollution caused by the manufacturing process, and to
• discover potential new uses and new markets for Nihonga pigments. -- see Nakagawa, "Kyojo Iwa Enogu" http://nakagawa-gofun.co.jp/english/begin/kyojo.html
LEAD-FREE PIGMENTS. Nakagawa and the Kyoto Prefectural Technology Center for Small and Medium Enterprises invested 10 years of research in developing and patenting lead-free pigments for use in traditional Nihonga artwork. Issues of public health and environmental pollution caused a demand for lead-free paints. -- see Nakagawa, "Developing New Iwa Enogu" http://nakagawa-gofun.co.jp/english/begin/development.html
NAKAGAWA GOGUN ENOGU. The Kyoto-based Nakagawa company was one of many small businesses which started up in the old Imperial capitol during the Meiji era after the Japanese emperor moved to Tokyo.
Purveyors (small business suppliers) which formerly focused exclusively on meeting the demands of the Imperial court were forced to diversify or die. A ripple effect spread through the supply chain which provided materials to these purveyors.
The emperor's unexpected decision to leave Kyoto converted the city's small business community into a kind of technology innovation incubator. The Nakagawa company was one of many born in this context. -- see Nakagawa, "Company Profile" http://nakagawa-gofun.co.jp/english/company/index.html
KYOTO PREFECTURAL TECHNOLOGY CENTER. The Kyoto Prefectural Technology Center for Small and Medium Enterprises (KPTC) is a public testing and research institution. KPTC povides technical support including consultation, testing, equipment and human resource development. -- see KPTC, "Overview" https://www.kptc.jp/p_centernogaiyou/
At the same time KPTC was working with Nakagawa, there were other public-private partnerships focusing on seemingly unrelated composites. KPTC researchers studied and worked to resolve technology problems, thus creating a unique "incubator environment" for technology transfer and cooperation. -- see J. Lo, S. V. Hoa (2006), "Design, Manufacturing and Applications of Composites: Proceedings of the Sixth Joint Canada-Japan Workshop on Composites," p. 111. https://books.google.com/books?id=Eqj4cmEmDlkC&pg=PA111&lpg=PA111&dq=Kyoto+Prefectural+Technology+Center+for+Small+and+Medium+Enterprises+and+composite&source=bl&ots=9Oa5tX7hgH&sig=ACfU3U3XgoJy2p_3A4Dmq7gzDh8mg9JsNg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi8-8WU5qvmAhXxkOAKHXlKBXUQ6AEwAHoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=Kyoto%20Prefectural%20Technology%20Center%20for%20Small%20and%20Medium%20Enterprises%20and%20composite&f=false
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QUESTION: Did the KPTC role in testing and equipment used in developing nanocomposite polymers have any unexpected (and perhaps unexamined) cross-over effect in the research about how to remove lead from Nihonga composite paints?
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QUESTION: Does the story of this very small public-private partnership provide an example of STEM-focused synergy and practical success? Is it possible that this little story could become a teaching tool?
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QOTO = Question Others to Teach Ourselves?
