35°42′20″N139°44′57″E / 35.70556°N 139.74917°E /35.70556; 139.74917
| Koishikawa Arsenal | |
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 Koishikawa Arsenal inTokyo, circa 1920 | |
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| Built | 1871 |
| Location | Koishikawa,Tokyo,Japan |
| Industry | Armament |
| Defunct | 1935 |
TheKoishikawa Arsenal (小石川工廠,Koishikawa Kōshō), formallyImperial Japanese Army Tokyo Arsenal (日本帝国陸軍東京砲兵工廠,Nippon Teikoku Rikugun Tokyo Hōheikōshō) was an arsenal in theKoishikawa area ofTokyo, on the grounds of today'sTokyo Dome City and theKoishikawa Kōrakuen Garden. It was located on the site of the former residence of the lords of theMito Domain.[1]
The arsenal was inaugurated in 1871, soon after theMeiji restoration. One of its main early productions was theMurata rifle, the first locally produced Japanese rifle. As of 1893, it was producing about 200 rifles and 200,000 cartridges daily.[2] The arsenal was especially active between the two World Wars, as theArisaka rifle was produced there.[3] The arsenal also produced licensedMauser style rifles based on theGewehr 98 for the military ofSiam (now Thailand).[4]
The arsenal began producing airplanes afterWorld War I for the Japanese army, and also for theImperial Russian Army, which placed an order for 10 airplanes before 1916.[5][6]
Discipline and organization at the arsenal are thought to have been extremely strict, leading to the development of labor disputes in which the Koishikawa arsenal took a leading role in Japan.[7][8]
After the First World War, theImperial Japanese Army Institute of Science was established within the Koishikawa arsenal. In 1937, theNumber Nine Research Laboratory was established as a breakaway unit from this station.
The arsenal suffered considerable destruction during theGreat Kantō earthquake on 1 September 1923. Complete reconstruction was deemed too expensive, so that the arsenal was transferred toKokura inKyūshū (小倉工廠) in October 1935, after 66 years of operation.
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