1904 Attacking Russia Commemorative Watch Fob with Observation Balloon/明治三十七年征露記念章

Photo courtesy of the owner.

Size 27.4 mm.
Weight 8.8 g.

Reverse

征露記念 - Attacking [Conquer; Subjugate] Russia Commemorative

明治三十七年 - 1904

 

The Japanese military became interested in the use of captive balloons in the mid 19th century noted seen their use by European armies. The first experimental ascent by the Japanese was in 1874 at the cadet military school. Japan began to construct its own balloons in 1877 based on a French one they had acquired. Yamada Isaburô, an industrialist, started to develop a hydrogen balloon in 1897. In 1900 he invented a cylindrical kite balloon and sold them to the Imperial Japanese Army. The army first used them operationally during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 for artillery spotting.​

 

Isaburo Yamada was born 1863 in a samurai family at Wakayama 5 years before Meiji revolution. At age 26 (1888) learned rubber processing technology from a visiting European engineer in Osaka. It took 3 years for him to master skill to make rubber floating tube, as life supporting equipment. Established a factory in Shiba Takanawa, Tokyo. Started to produce tubes. Invented a foldable rubber life supporting tube. One day a high ranking military officer, friend of him suggested that it is time to invent a weapon to attack enemy from air. This made Isaburo to think of object to float in air. Isaburo started to develop hydrogen balloon in 1897. In 1900 he invented a cylindrical kite balloon and applied a patent for it. Army those days found it useful as observation deck. During Russo-Japanese War in 1904 two of his kite balloons were used to observe enemy vessels at Port Arthur.

In 1907 Isaburo started to develop a balloon with engine. About those days a British, Hamilton brought an one man airship, 220 cubic m, 18m long and made a demonstration flight at Ueno Tokyo. This gave Isaburo various practical idea for his airship development. He tested the shape of ship by models in running water with red ink in it. Similar idea to wind tunnel. Yamada Airship No.1 made the first flight from Osaki to Komaba, Tokyo on 8 September 1910. It was 30m long, 1600 cu.m. 14hp. This was the first practical manned airship produced in Japan He repeated several flights with this and in February 1911 He constructed Yamada No.2 airship which was 33m long, 1500 cu.m. 50hp.

Yamada No.2

Yamada No.3 was completed in July that year which was 1700 cu.m. with twin 150 hp Engines. He has flown distance of 20km with this. This airship was sold to China in 1912. However because of trouble with revolution in China Isaburo could colllect only 15% of the price.​

Yamada No.3

Isaburo died at the age of 51 due to diabetes. He was the Japanese pioneer of balloons and airships. Weather Balloon Mfg. Co. was extablishied by Isaburo. Today this company is producing various high altitude weather balloons and kite balloons.​

 

1905 Underwood Stereo Card showing the Japanese air balloon near Port Arthur.

 

It looks like the balloon depicted in the stereo card belong to the Temporary Balloon Corps /臨時気球隊/ that was established on June 7, 1904 under the command of Major Kōno Nagatoshi /河野長敏工兵少佐/ and participated in the Port Arthur siege from the beginning of August. Originally equipped with two balloones manufactured by Yamada Balloon Manufacturing Co., Ltd. /山田気球製作所/ it is believed that later it was also equipped with balloons made by Shibaura Seisakusho. Shibaura Seisakusho /芝浦製作所 - Shibaura Engineering Works/ was the new name given to the company Tanaka Seisakusho (Tanaka Engineering Works), after it was declared insolvent in 1893 and taken over by Mitsui Bank. In 1910, it formed a tie-up with GE USA, which, in exchange for technology acquired about a quarter of the shares of Shibaura. With this investment GE now had a stake in both Tokyo Denki and Shibaura Seisakusho - two companies that had a complementary line of products in light as well as heavy electrical equipment. Both companies were merged in 1939 to create Tokyo Shibaura Denki (Tokyo Shibaura Electric Company, now known as Toshiba).

Following the success of the Temporary Balloon Corps, in 1905 a Balloon Team /気球班/ was set up in the Telegraph Training School in Nakano, Tokyo. In October 1907 the Balloon Team was reorganized into the Army Balloon Corps /陸軍気球隊/ which became part of the Transportation Corps Brigade (combined the Railroad Corps, Telegraph Battalion, and Balloon Corps). It was headed by Major Kōno Nagatoshi and consisted of 145 members and 9 horses. On October 20, 1913 the Army Balloon Corps was transferred to Tokorozawa Airfield.​

Sign reads 気球隊 - Balloon Corps.