Anaori Carbon Co., Ltd.

Green Pine Smoke Soot

It is written in Chinese poetry circa the 2nd century that there was ink made of soot from the smoke of green pines (there was soot and carbon), and from olden times carbon has been used as black pigment. Even in Europe, soot prevailed widely for use as printing ink in the 15th century. In the 16th century, natural graphite began to be cut into long, thin pieces and used as pencil lead. By the end of the 18th century, carbon applications expanded due to charcoal being recognized for its electrical conductivity. At the beginning of the 19th century, carbon use was expedited for use as carbon brushes by such inventions as Edison’s electric light bulb, Volta cell electrodes, generators, etc

Ozawa Dentan Factory

It is said that carbon use in Japan was first begun in 1853 when the American, Perry, sent an electric telegraph machine to the Tokugawa Shogunate. Following that, carbon production was begun in 1884 in Tokyo at the Ozawa Dentan Factory, where primary battery and dry cell battery anodes were manufactured. From the Taisho Era (1912-1926), companies such as Nippon Carbon Co. Ltd. and Tokai Carbon Co. Ltd. (initially Tokai Electrode Manufacturing) began producing large scale carbon materials such as electric furnace electrodes, electrolytic soda, electrolytic plates, etc. for the manufacture of iron.

The Meiji (1868-1912) and Taisho (1912-1926) Eras were a period of forming the foundations of the manufacturing technologies. Cylinder molded (man made) graphite electrodes, electric brushes, and other carbon products that were superior to foreign products were able to be manufactured. Upon entering the Showa Era (1926-1945), the carbon industry was headed for expansion along with the expansion of the ammunition industry, however, that was halted due to the damage from World War II.

After the war, in the midst of a complete global shortage of steel, there was a focus on the revival for the production of electric furnace electrodes and around the beginning of Showa 30 (1955), Japan followed America as a carbon producing country. Since riding the huge wave from Showa 40-60 (1965-1985), the scope of carbon production has continued to grow.

Electrolytic Plates

Between the end of the Showa Era and the beginning of the Heisei Era, as iron & steel and automobile production matured, major products aimed at iron and steel electrodes and aluminum refined electrolytic plate growth became stunted, however, high temperature processing technology and equipment for areas such as semiconductor production and the metallurgy field have increased and opportunities for the heat resistant material known as carbon have vastly multiplied.