Firebricks are made of fire-resistant clay and used in the construction of kilns. In the Meiji era (1868-1912), white bricks were called “white bricks” in contrast to red bricks used for construction. Looking back at the development of the firebrick manufacturing industry in Japan, it can be roughly divided into three periods. The first period was from the end of the Edo period to 1902 or 1903 (35-6th year of Meiji era), and was the period of importing foreign bricks, which could be called the cradle period. The second period was from 1904 to the end of World War I, a period in which imports were almost completely eliminated and manufacturing methods were devised that made full use of Japanese raw materials and suited national conditions, in what could be called a period of basic establishment. The third period was the period from the Depression after World War I to World War II, when the industry, which had developed rapidly, was hit hard by World War I and competition in the industry became fierce, and many technologies were most advanced during this period. The main types of refractory bricks are as follows Stone bricks, clay bricks, silica stone bricks, chrome bricks, magnesia bricks, carborundum and alundum bricks, high-grade earthenware bricks, heat-insulating bricks, etc.
