TRIZ Reseach Note: Historical Reference
Algorithm of Inventive Problem Solving:  ARIZ
   Hiroaki Kawashima (Hitachi Kenki Co.) 
   in "Handbook of New Product Development Methodologies", edited by Makoto Takahashi, Nippon Business Report Co., 1986.
    [Posted here in Japanese by courtesy of the author, Feb. 9, 2000; English page onMar. 23, 2000]

Editor's Note (Toru Nakagawa, Feb. 8, 2000)  [English translation on Mar. 12, 2000]

On last December 10, I met Mr. Hiroaki Kawashima from Hitachi Kenki Business Frontier Co. for the first time.  It was at the meeting of Invention Technology Working Group organized by Mitsubishi Research Institute.  I learned that Mr. Kawashima had been interested in TRIZ since early 1970s.  So I asked him to write some article on the early history of introducing TRIZ in Japan.  Below is a translation of my email message to him:

Dear Mr. Hiroaki Kawashima,
Thank you very much for your interesting comments at the meeting of Mitsubishi Research Institute.
I am very much interested in how TRIZ was introduced into Japan in those early days around 1972 and what reactions and influences it made since then.   I read a brief comment [on Altshuller's TRIZ textbook published in Japanese translation in 1972 ] written by Mr. Hidemi Kitaguchi from Toshiba being posted on the Web site operated by Mr. Hiroshi Igata [from Toyota Motor Co.]; this is my only knowledge about early history of TRIZ in Japan.
Would you please write a brief note about how you personally thought about TRIZ in those days and about how you use/develop it  afterwards?  I should much appreciate it if you would allow me to post it on my Web site "TRIZ Home Page in Japan".  Reading your article, somebody might also write his/her own history/impression of TRIZ.  Such a relay of articles on TRIZ history in Japan will be very helpful for the future development of TRIZ in Japan.
With best regards,
            Toru Nakagawa, Osaka Gakuin University,  December 12, 1999.
The following is a note received from Mr. Kawashima on January 17, after a few email communications:
Notes on "Hatsumei Hasso Nyumon (Introduction to Inventive Idea Generation)"
          by Hiroaki Kawashima (Hitachi Kenki Business Frontier Co.)       (January 17, 2000)

(a)  This textbook [Japanese translation of Altshuler's textbook "Algorithm of Invention" published in 1969] was [translated by K. Endo and T. Takada and] published in May 1972 [by Agune-sha].  Follwings are the information on it as far as I know.  First of all, in this textbook the methodology was called ARIZ (Algorithm of Invention) instead of TRIZ.  The textbook recently published by Nikkei BP (i.e., "Principles and Concepts of TRIZ", Super Invention Technique TRIZ Series, Vol. 1, [by G. Altshuller, translated by K. Endo and T. Takada,] Nov. 1997), is essentially based on the former textbook of 1972.

(b)  In May 1974, Kawashima talked about ARIZ68 at the Seminar on Theory of Equivalence Transformation and Development held in Osaka.  I suggested the use of ARIZ68 as a checklist at the stages of Task Definition and View Definition in the ET Flowchart methodology.

(c)  In the 1984 edition of "Hitachi VA Methodologies Handbook", the "ARIZ method" was described in one page, among many other VA methodologies.  I do not know how many people actually read and used it.

(d)  In July 1986, Kawashima wrote about the "ARIZ method" in six pages in the "Handbook of New Product Development Methodologies", which was edited by Makoto Takahashi and published by  Nippon Business Report Co.  I did not receive any reaction from its readers, and Mr. Takahashi did not either.

(e)  Later I asked my friends who made business visits to  USSR to find new editions of the book, but they did not get any information.  I also once talked with Mr. K. Endo, one of the translators of the 1972 textbook, on the phone, but could not find any further information.

(f)  Later I made a software tool operable on a personal computer.  The software displays the  32 parameters of technical system, and when the user selects one parameter to be improved and another parameter becoming worse the tool shows suitable solution principles selected among the 35 principles of invention.  Though I was working to install a collection of solution examples, I could not complete it due to my shortage of work time and to the later change in my working position.

Reading Mr. Kawashima's note, I asked him again to give me permission to republish his 1986 article on "ARIZ"  in this "TRIZ Home Page in Japan".  Being given his and publisher's kind permissions, Mr. Kawashima's introductory article originally written in 1986 is now posted here in the Japanese page of this site.  For the posting, I converted the article into the HTML format, and modified its layout, but did not change the text at all.  The present editor is very grateful to the following people for their understanding of the role of this Web site and for their kind permission of republishing the article here.
Author:     Mr. Hiroaki Kawashima, currently at Hitachi Kenki Business Frontier Co.,  email: kawa91@tw.hitachi-kenki.co.jp
Editor:      Mr. Makoto Takahashi, currently at Sozo Kaihatsu Kenkyusho (Creativity Development Institute), email:  info@so-ken-ri.co.jp
Publisher:   Nippon Business Report Co.
Comments on and information about history of introducing TRIZ into Japan in early days are heartily welcome from readers.  It would be nice if you make your comment as an open contribution to this home page.  Contributions of comments on various methodologies for creative problem solving and creativity development especially in Japan are also very welcome.

[The article by Kawashima is posted in the Japanese page.  There is no plan of translating it into English.]
 
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Last updated on Mar. 23, 2000.     Access point:  Editor: nakagawa@utc.osaka-gu.ac.jp