In order to degrade chitin by enzymatic hydrolysis, it is required from screening highly active deacetylase. To this end, we examined three fungal strains and it turned out that Mucor rouxii produced highly active deacetylase, this enzyme exhibited the highest enzymatic activity against colloidal chitin. The conditions for growing Mucor rouxii are as follows; the effective carbon source, nitrogen source, adequate initial pH, temperature and incubation time were $2\%$ glucose, $1.33\%$ yeast extract, $0.66\%$ pepton, 4.5, $25{pm}2^{circ}C$ and 48hr, respectively. The optimum pH and temperature for purified enzyme activity were 5.5 and $40^{circ}C$, respectively. The purified enzyme was stable at pH ranging from 4.5 to 5.5. However, the enzyme activity was decreased to less than $50\%$ at pH blow 45 and above 7.5. At temperatures above $50^{circ}C$, the enzyme activity was decreased remarkably. The enzyme was inhibited by LiC1, $HgCl_2$, and $BaCl_2$, but stimulated by $CaCl_2$ and $ZnC1_2$, The activity of purified enzyme was increased by L-cysteine and 2-mercaptoethanol, while decreased by O-phenanthroline, p-CMB, EDTA, and iodoacetate. The $K_m$ and the $V_{max}$ value of purified enzyme were $1.2\%$ and 59.5 U/mg, respectively. The deacetylation activity of purified enzyme was not detected at optimal reaction condition when chitin particle suspension was used.