HISTORY
Mitsuishi is known as “Brick City” with a long history of firebrick production technology
Ninkuro Kato statue
Mitsuishi Taikarenga is in the eastern end of Okayama prefecture, in the Mitsuishi area of Bizen City.
A small town in the mountains, Mitsuishi once was a mining town with nearly 40 to 50 "agalmatolite" mines.
There were so many agalmatolite stones in this area, you wouldn’t find more anywhere else in Japan or overseas.
In 1872, Okayama Prefecture, Nodani Village (now Bizen City), Ninkuro Kato started making stone pencils (chalk) with agalmatolite as a raw material.
With modernization of Japan underway by the Meiji Revolution, upon commencement of the school system, tools for studying words, stone boards and pencils became necessary.
Then Kato Ninkuro developed the slate pencil manufacturing business with Mitsuishi wax stones.
Initially, agalmatolite was hand-rolled from the mine, but as the mechanization advances and opencast mining was carried out, as well as research on agalmatolite progressed, it turned out that the agalmatolite had excellent characteristics for refractories.
In anticipation of the demand for refractory applications in the era, Ninkuro Kato established the Mitsuishi brick factory in 1892 and began manufacturing refractory bricks (firebricks).
The history of Mitsuishi Taikarenga began here.
When Ninkuro Kato prototyped firebricks, the local traditional industry, the technique of Bizen-yaki was useful.
There was a record that the first refractory brick was baked in the climbing kiln of Bizen.
This area became the largest refractory brick production site in the country due to two facts; that Mitsuishi was the production area for refractory bricks and agalmatolite, and there were kilns for burning bricks.
Eventually, the Meiji government would promote the country's wealth and military strength, at the same time, push the domestic industry development policy on a government initiative. The government-built steel plants all over Japan and refractory furnaces that melted iron.
Firebricks that could withstand high temperatures above 1500°C, which could also melt iron, were ideal for industrial materials such as the lining of reverberating furnaces.
Among them, Mitsuishi's agalmatolite was abundant in mineral content and was considered to be suitable as a raw material for firebricks, and the demand from Mitsuishi stones had gradually increased.
As the war began, firebricks for warship boilers were needed, and Mitsuishi Taikarenga became the designated factory of the Navy.
The representative at the time, Sanji Akashi, introduced a new chamotte type fireproof bricks and capital bricks.
After heating the fireclay to 1300-1400°C, it was crushed into fine granules called chamotte which was used in the manufacturing technology that became a foothold for firebricks. This became an important time in the subsequent development of Japanese industry.
Along with changes in the process of steel refinement, although a number of refractories instead of firebricks have been used, refractory bricks contributed to the development of the steel industry and their production and supply as essential materials in the history of steel manufacturing after the war in Japan.
It is no exaggeration to say that pursuing the improvement of the quality of firebricks used at steel manufacturing sites has led to the high level of technical strength of the present Japanese steel industry.
Because it is Mitsuishi Taikarenga with 126 years of history, more can be done.
At the home of agalmatolite, Mitsuishi, we were established as a refractory brick factory. Utilizing the long history and accumulated know-how cultivated in the development of firebricks, we aimed for a next-generation company from the refractory brick manufacturing industry and have taken a new step.
Our mission is to protect the tradition and technology of Mitsuishi, with the foresight of the era of "Ninkuro Kato" and "Sangji Akashi". It is also our mission to exceed the stereotype thinking and to create new type of firebricks that were not available before. We will continue research and development to make effective use of Mitsuishi's precious resources, while making full use of resource recycling technology, and will also continue to work on fundamental research aimed at future projects that are useful for Japanese industries and people's lives.
Transition of firebrick manufacturing process and major products
■ Functional Brick
- ● Super High Alumina Brick
- ● High-Alumina-Based Brick
- ● Fireclay Brick
- ● Low Iron Brick
- ● Cordierite-Based Brick
- ● Silicon Carbide Brick
- ● Alumina/Zircon Brick
- ● Magnesia Brick
- ● Firebrick for Casting
- ● Radiation Shielding Ceramics RASHIX-HD
- ● Various Refractory Mortar
- ● Various Refractory Cement
- ● Various Heat Insulating Brick