History of Springs

According to the multiple Japanese dictionaries, the Japanese word for spring, "bane", originated from "haneru", meaning to bounce or rebound.
There is another theory which hols that "bane" arose out of the words "joue" or "hane" appearing in "Shogenjikō setsuyōshū" (Collection of Abridged Chinese Characters) during the Genroku period. "Kusari-kata-bira" (chain mail) and "kusari-juban" (chain singlet) were undergarments worn by warriors going into war. Having nail lines woven into a mesh pattern, these garments were endowed with some elasticity. Since these garments deflected (haneru) sword and spear thrusts, the theory goes that the old word of "bane" (spring) originated out of this.

Various Chinese characters have been used to express "bane" (spring), however, the origins are unclear. Having said that, in "Karakuri Zui" written by Yorinao Hosokawa in 1796, springs are described as "hajigane" or "hajikigane", while in the manuscript "Kiban Ki" written by Kunitomo Tohei Noue, a gunsmith in 1819, springs are described as "hashikigane", while in the Inoue school artillery tradition, springs were written as "hajikigane". Therefore, "hajigane" and "danjikane," which denote independent parts, were applied to "danki," and "hajikigane" was connected to "haneru" (springing), which may have led to the word "bane" (spring). This is now the leading theory concerning the origin of the word "bane" (spring).

100,000~50,000 years ago

The Neanderthals began using elastic tree branches and other materials to make "traps" for capturing small animals.

Approximately 20,000 years ago (Late Paleolithic Period)

Invention of bows for hunting. These eventually came to be used as weapons.

Jomon period (Japan)

Round wooden bows made from branches of Japanese cherry birch and other trees began to be used.

Bronze Age

Scissors were developed as a tool for cutting things by grinding two blades together.

BC1400s

Chopsticks were invented in China (Shang Dynasty)

Around BC1300

Bronze scissors began to be used in Egypt

BC500s

The oldest Chinese military book "Sun Tzu" mentioned a crossbow (ishiyumi) made of overlapping wooden plate springs as a projectile weapon.

Yayoi period (Japan)

Chopsticks made of bamboo bent into a tweezers shape started to be used.

Late BC100s

Byzantine inventor Philon made a device for projecting arrows using strands of braided horse hairs, etc.

4th century end (Japan)

Use of iron grip scissors from the 8th-14th century
"Kondan" (spinning and snapping springs) were used in Chinese astronomical clocks

Around 1150

An iron prosthetic hand with fingers having spring joints was made in Europe.

Around 1450

Clocks with spiral springs (mainsprings) appeared in medieval Europe.

Mid-15th century

Springs were devised for passenger carriage suspension devices.

Around 1450~70

An arquebus having a spring trigger was completed in Europe

Around 1500 (Renaissance)

Leonardo da Vinci studied mechanics and documented his conception for a four-wheeled "auto-powered wheel" using a pair of plate springs. He also used a coil spring for the geared trigger of a gun.

1544 (Japan)

Tanegashima swordsmith Yaita Kinbei Kiyosada made the first gun in Japan. He used springs for the trigger, etc.

1612 (Japan)

Tokugawa Ieyasu received a clock with mainspring from the viceroy of Spanish Mexico.

17th century

Galileo published his work on elastic mechanics, and Newton finalized his concepts into the laws of motion.

1669

British naval historian Pepys recorded in his diary that he "experimented with copper springs on carriages".

1678

Hooke discovered the proportional relationship between stress and strain and published it as the "Law of Springs". In doing so, he established the theory of elasticity (Hooke's Law).

1700s (Japan)

Theatrical "karakuri" puppets powered by springs made from whales' baleen took the world by storm.

18th century

Spring-powered automatic machines and dolls flourished in Europe.

Mid-18th century

Rickshaws were fitted with leaf springs in Europe

1796

The world's first automobile appeared. Ever since, springs have been used in suspension devices, engines, and other parts.

1804

Elliott invented the oval spring, which may be called the prototype for automobile suspension leaf springs.

1865~68 (Japan)

Bicycles were introduced. The steel plate that supported the saddle also served as a leaf spring.

1870-71 (Japan)

Domestic production of leaf springs for rickshaws was started. Specialized spring manufacturers subsequently emerged.

1871 (Japan)

Torakichi Nakano founded Nakano Spring Works for the purpose of manufacturing leaf springs for rickshaws. Later, the company produced Japan's first leaf springs for vehicles.

1877 (Japan)

Kisaburo Kanda and Kyuzo Kaneko exhibited springs at the 1st National Industrial Exhibition.

1907 (Japan)

Appearance of gasoline-powered automobiles

History of Springs

Etymology of the word "spring"