The first hundred years of the Tohoku Mathematical Journal

Abstract

1. The beginning. According to the official record [1], the first issue of the Tohoku Mathematical Journal (henceforth referred to as TMJ, as it is commonly called) was published in July, 1911, which was even before the College of Science of Tohoku Imperial University (henceforth referred to as the University) started offering classes in September. It was Professor Tsuruichi HAYASHI who founded TMJ at his own expense as the first research journal ever in Japan dedicated solely to mathematics. Its editorial work was helped by the other faculty members of the College of Science: (in early years) Matsusaburo FUJIWARA, Tadahiko KUBOTA and Kinnosuke OGURA in mathematics as well as Jun ISHIWARA in physics. The University had been founded in September, 1907 as the third imperial university in Japan, following Tokyo Imperial University in 1877 and Kyoto Imperial University in 1897. After the preparatory period of four years during which many faculty member designates were dispatched to Europe, the College of Science was inaugurated as its first college in April, 1911, and started offering classes on September 11, 1911. Professor Matsusaburo FUJIWARA describes the state of mathematics at that time in Japan in his “Obituary Note. TSURUICHI HAYASHI (1873–1935)” (TMJ, First Series, 41 (1935/36), 265–289) as follows: