An Analysis of the Early Electrical Engineers in Meiji Japan

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  • 明治日本における初期電気技術者の分析
  • メイジ ニホン ニ オケル ショキ デンキ ギジュツシャ ノ ブンセキ

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In the Meiji era, who were the electric engineers, who developed and manufactured the electrical machines? I have investigated and analyzed these engineers and reviewed the electrical engineering in Meiji Japan. At first, the officers of governments who could speak English, started the construction of the telegraph networks under the instruction of "oyatoi-gaijin", the hired foreigners. After the Telegraph Technical School opened, these ex-students mainly executed these project. Since 1889, many had graduated from "Koubu-Dai-gakko", Imperial College of Engineering Tokio. However, most of them had become to the officers of the Ministry of Public Works or Communications, or the chief engineers of the newly established Electric Light Companies. The manufacturing had started from repairing the telegraph machines at "Seikijo", work shop in the Ministry of Public Works. The engineers here were the graduates of Telegraph Technical School and the craftsmen, who had been mainly the subordinates of Tanaka Hisasige, famous "karakuri" craftsman. From the middle of Meiji 10s, many engineers of "Seikijo" established their own manufacturing firms, which have become the roots of the main electric machine manufacturing companies in Japan. In the middle of Meiji era, the electric technologies were still young, but started the development rapidly by participating of many scientists and engineers, who had high education background. In Japan, the electric technologies were supported mainly by the craftsmen. One of the causes of the big delay of electric technologies is no participation to manufacturing of the graduates of College or Universities.

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