Takamine Jokichi
Japanese: 高峰譲吉
A Japanese chemist and industrialist (1854-1922) who developed the Takamine enzyme method extracting diastase from koji, and first crystallized adrenaline.
Takamine Jokichi (1854-1922) bridged Japan's traditional koji to modern science. He developed a method to extract the starch-digesting enzyme diastase from Aspergillus oryzae, commercializing it as the digestive medicine Taka-Diastase. In 1901, he became the first to crystallize adrenaline, advancing modern biochemistry. After moving to America, he devoted his life to connecting Eastern fermentation with Western industry, including attempts to apply koji enzymes to whiskey brewing. He was a pioneer who unlocked the potential of the traditional material koji through science. Takamine's achievements demonstrated to the world that Japanese traditional technology holds universal scientific value. He articulated koji in the language of science and brought it to the global stage. That foresight remains undimmed.