Academic history and professional highlights
1889
Bachelor of science in chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Tokyo Imperial University (now the University of Tokyo)
1891
Professor, the Tokyo Higher Normal School
1896
Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Tokyo Imperial University
1899
Studied physical chemistry at the laboratory of Prof. Friedrich Wilhelm Ostwald at the University of Leipzig, Germany, for a year and a half
1901
Stayed in London from May through October
Start of close friendship with Soseki Natsume after living in the same boarding house in London
Professor, Tokyo Imperial University
1902
Doctor of Science, Tokyo Imperial University
1907
Started isolation study after naming "Umami" as an additional taste component to complement sourness, sweetness, saltiness, and bitterness
Discovered monosodium L-glutamate as the main component of the delicious taste of dried kelp
1908
Invented a manufacturing method for producing seasoning with monosodium L-glutamate as the major component
1909
Launch of "Ajinomoto," a taste seasoning, by Suzuki Pharmaceutical Company (now Ajinomoto Co., Inc.)
1913
President of the Chemical Society of Japan
1917
One of the founding members of RIKEN (director of chemistry department)
1919
Member of the Imperial Academy
1923
Retirement from Tokyo Imperial University