astronomy

Masatoshi Ōkōchi

Masatoshi Ōkōchi is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Masatoshi Ōkōchi rather than just read about it. In short: Viscount Masatoshi Ōkōchi (大河内正敏, Ōkōchi Masatoshi; December 6, 1878 – August 29, 1952) was a Japanese physicist and business executive. He was the third director of the Riken Institute, a position which he assumed in 1921 and held for 25 years.

Key takeaways

Masatoshi Ōkōchi belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Masatoshi Ōkōchi to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Masatoshi Ōkōchi from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Viscount Masatoshi Ōkōchi (大河内正敏, Ōkōchi Masatoshi; December 6, 1878 – August 29, 1952) was a Japanese physicist and business executive. He was the third director of the Riken Institute, a position which he assumed in 1921 and held for 25 years. During this period, he was notable for establishing the Riken Konzern, a zaibatsu of companies which focused on utilizing Riken's research results to produce commercial products.

Personal life He was the eldest son of Ōkōchi Masatada, son of Manabe Akikatsu and adopted son of Matsudaira Masatomo. He married a daughter of his uncle Ōkōchi Nobuhisa, another son of Akikatsu but adopted by Matsudaira Nobuaki, with whom he had issue, including Nobuhiro Ōkōchi. His granddaughter through Nobuhiro was actress Momoko Kōchi.

Ancestry

History Masatoshi was born in Hamamatsuchō, Minato, Tokyo as a descendant of the Ōkōchi-Matsudaira clan who ruled over the Ōtaki Domain. After graduating from an elementary school affiliated with Gakushūin, he received an education at the First High School, and then enrolled in the Tokyo Imperial University.

1903 – After graduating from college, he became a lecturer. His subsequent visits to Europe were privately financed. 1911 – After returning to Japan, he was appointed professor at the Tokyo Imperial University. During that time, he collaborated with Torahiko Terada on the experiment involving flying bullets. 1914 – He received a Doctor of Engineering. February 27, 1915 – He was elected as Viscount in the House of Peers. 1918 – He served as parliamentary vice-minister of the Ministry of the Navy of Japan under Hara Takashi. September 30, 1921 – Under the recommendation of the president of the University of Tokyo, Yamakawa Kenjirō, he was elevated to his position as director of Riken. There, he introduced the laboratory system to bring freedom to senior researchers at Riken, further advancing the commercialization of research results, making Riken an international research institute. 1925 – He resigned his position as professor at the University of Tokyo to devote to his position as director of Riken. 1927 – For the purpose of commercializing research results on Kogyo Co, Ltd., Riken started production of the first practical use piston ring in Japan. Seventy-six companies merged into the Riken Konzern, causing Riken to account for the leadership of this zaibatsu. April 1, 1930 – He was ordained into the Japanese honors system, and he was bestowed upon the Order of the Sacred Treasure. July 19, 1930 – He resigned as a member of the House of Peers. April 2, 1934 – He was appointed as the fourth head of Tokyo's physical school (now superseded by the Tokyo University of Science). May 1936 – He was appointed as president of Tokyo's physical school. September 1937 – He resigned as president of Tokyo's physical school. February 10, 1938 – He was elected as Viscount in the House of Peers in a representative election. 1943 – He was appointed as an adviser of Tojo's cabinet. December 6, 1945 – He was charged for war crimes as a Class A war criminal suspect. December 13, 1945 – He was detained in Sugamo Prison. December 25, 1945 – He resigned as principal of Tokyo's physical school. April 1946 – He was released from custody. April 7, 1946 – He resigned as a member of the House of Peers for the last time. October 1946 – He resigned as the director of Riken. Until his resignation, he supported the researchers' studies in a wide range of fields in the royalties of Riken's companies. Also, one year after the resignation, he was purged from running for public office. August 6, 1951 – His purge from office has been softened. August 29, 1952 – He died from a cerebral infarction at the age of 73. Before his death, he was bestowed upon the Order of the Rising Sun. His grave is located at Heirin-ji at Niiza, Saitama.

See also Ricoh Riken Ten Japanese Great Inventors

References

External links [1] – Information about the history of RIKEN

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Masatoshi Ōkōchi

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Masatoshi Ōkōchi claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Masatoshi Ōkōchi before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Masatoshi Ōkōchi ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Masatoshi Ōkōchi

In research: Masatoshi Ōkōchi appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Masatoshi Ōkōchi in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Masatoshi Ōkōchi is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1878 births, 1952 deaths, 20th-century Japanese businesspeople, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Masatoshi Ōkōchi outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Masatoshi Ōkōchi” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Masatoshi Ōkōchi in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Masatoshi Ōkōchi means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Masatoshi Ōkōchi out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Masatoshi Ōkōchi in simple terms?

Why does Masatoshi Ōkōchi matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Masatoshi Ōkōchi?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Masatoshi Ōkōchi.