206 



INTERNATIONAL ASPECTS OF OCEANOGRAPHY 



Marine Biological Station of Asamushi ('37) 



Origin: The following is quoted from the article 

 cited below.^ 



The Asamushi Marine Biological Station was 

 founded in July, 1924, as an extension of the 

 Institute of Biology, Tohoku Imperial University, 

 Sendai, Japan. During the years, 1921-1922 

 one of the authors (S. Hatai) and his colleagues 

 at the Biological Institute made a thorough in- 

 vestigation of the entire coast of Northeastern 

 Japan to select the most suitable site for a marine 

 iDioIogical station. Although the coast of Miyagi 

 Prefecture was naturally most thoroughly searched 

 the present location in Aomori Prefecture was 

 selected, after careful consideration, as the most 

 suitable for our purpose. By act of the 46th. 

 Diet, in session in 1923, the Imperial Japanese 

 Government granted 150,000 yen for establishing 

 the Station, and 50,000 yen was given by the 

 Aomori Prefectural Government. Thus the erec- 

 tion of the buildings could be commenced in May, 

 1923, and was completed one year later, entailing 

 a total expense of 200,000 yen. The Station 

 was formally opened on July 5th, 1924. 



During the four years since its establishment, 

 various improvements have been made, and the 

 station is now fast becoming one of the centers 

 for the promotion of Biological Science in Japan. 

 Location: Asamushi, Aomori-ken, on the sea front, 

 about 1.6 km. northeast of the village of Asamuchi. 

 about 16 km. northeast of city of Aomori, and 

 about 17 hours by train from Tokyo. 

 Organization to which attached: The Faculty of 



Science, Tohoku Imperial University. 

 Purposes: Major purpose, research; instruction in 



zoology, physiology, and planktology. 

 Scope of activities: Research in physiology, zoology, 

 physiological chemistry, planktology, and oceano- 

 graphy. 

 Equipment: 1 laboratory building, 2 floors, 386 sq. m., 

 of 14 rooms: 8 research rooms for faculty, 

 student laboratory, physiological laboratory, 

 library, dark room, reception room, janitor's 

 room; all furnished with gas, electricity, run- 

 ning sea and fresh water. 

 1 undersea laboratory, designed for study of 

 experimental evolution, physiology, and ecol- 

 ogy, re-enforced concrete, 15 sq. m., one-half 

 submerged in the sea at the shore line. 



- Hatai, Sinkishi, and Kokubo, Seiji, The marine biologi- 

 cal station of Asamushi: Its history, equipment, and activi- 

 ties: Records of Oceanog. Works in Japan, vol. 1, no. 1, 

 pp. 26-38, pis. 6-12, 1928. 



1 aquarium house, re-enforced concrete, 238 sq. m., 

 business room, aquarium, museum. 24 tanks 

 of various sizes, in which both fresh and sea 

 water fishes are on display to the public. 



1 boat house, 70 sq. m., for conservation of motor 

 boats during the winter. 



2 motor boats; one, 8 meters, 20 h.p. gasoline 

 engine, furnished with fish tank for transporting 

 live fishes; one 7 meters, 8 h.p. engine. 



2 small fishing boats, portable motors. 



1 dormitory, 2 story frame building, capable of 

 accommodating 50 persons, area 636 sq. m. 



4 official residences, 116 sq. m. each, of 3 to 5 

 rooms in addition to veranda, kitchen, bath, 

 furniture, running water, electricity. 

 Staff: Director, Doctor Hatai; Curator, Dr. S. 



Kokubo; 3 assistants; 1 technical assistant. 

 Provisions for visiting investigators: Between 20 and 



30 can be accommodated besides the staff. 

 Income: The regular income is Yen 21,000 per year 



including salaries, besides a special income of 



Yen 6,000 derived from the aquarium. 

 Provision for the publication of results: Scientific 



reports of Tohoku Imperial University. 



Imperial Marine Observatory, Kobe ('37) 



History or origin: Established in 1919. 



Location: Nakayamate-dori 7 tyome, Kobe. 



Organization to which attached: Department of 

 Education. 



Purposes: Marine meteorology and oceanographic 

 investigations. 



Equipment: Besides the laboratory and office build- 

 ing in Kobe, the Observatory operates the M. S. 

 Syunpu-Maru, a steel yacht of 125 tonnage, 

 specially intended for oceanographical surveys, 

 built in 1927. Principal dimensions: length over 

 all 90 feet, breadth 18 feet, depth 9.6 feet, mean 

 draft 7 feet, displacement of 125 tons; equipped 

 with a six cylinder Diesel engine of 150 horse- 

 power; speed 9 knots in calm weather; carries 13 

 tons of crude oil in three oil tanks; cruising 

 radius of about 2,500 miles at a mean speed of 8 

 knots. 



Personnel, a captain and a crew of 16 in all. 

 Oceanographical observations are conducted by 

 the experts of the Observatory assisted by the 

 crew. Four sounding instruments of the Lucas 

 and Wurzel types are fitted on board. Tem- 

 perature, density, salinity, acidity, etc., at various 

 depths are observed in usual ways, and the 



