Kurume History WalksTa n a k a H i s a s h i g e

No.39 Tanaka Hisashige, an inventor-engineer 田中久重
Tanaka Hisashige (1799-1881), a great inventor-engineer and founder ofToshiba, spent his life in turbulent times of Japan when the Tokugawa
Shogunate came to an end, and when a new government was established underEmperor Meiji. He achieved singular success with his invention, and was called“the best clock and mechanical engineer in the country”. He played an importantrole in Japan’s modernization. Then, he was popularly known as “Karakuri(automata) Giemon*”.
*In old times, until the Meiji period (1868-1912), a single individual used to have some or several
names depending on a personal and social situation. As for Hisashige, he was named Ganjiro/Iwajiro?
(岩次郎) at birth, and Giemon (儀右衛門) at the age of about seven, then called Omi-Daijo (近江大
掾: a title for the greatest craftsmen) which he was awarded at the age of fifty-one, and finallychanged to Hisashige (久重) around since he moved to Tokyo in 1873.

Tanaka Hisashige■ Great Inventor from Kurume ■On October 16th, 1799, Hisashige was born the oldest son of a tortoiseshell craftsman, at Toricho, which
was the main street running east-west through the Kurume castle town.
Since his childhood, he was engrossed in inventing mechanical devices. His automated puppets (lit. karakuriningyo) acquired a reputation in large festivals at the Gokoku-jinja Shrine, near to his house.
The festival used to be held twice a year in spring and autumn. A lot of stands and freak shows attracted
many people. Among them, the most popular was the automata puppets completion of eight groups from thecastle town. Hisashige took part in and presented various automata, especially powered by water pressure andfalling water.
He probably used as a reference “Karakuri-Zui (Compilation of Illustrated Mechanical Arts)” written by
Hosokawa Hanzo from the Tosa Domain, and published in 1796.

In Gokoku-jinja Shrine, a stone bridge has existed since when
Hisashige was a child.

His birthplace and its monument

1
Kurume History Walks / No.39 Tanaka Hisashige, an inventor-engineer

■ Starting a Real Career in Mechanics ■In the 1820s he reportedly engineered “Bow shooting boy (yumihiki doji)”and “Calligraphy writing doll(mojikaki ningyo)” which were small and mechanized puppets capable of performing an act such as discharging
an arrow at a target and writing calligraphy with a little brush and ink.
As a professional karakuri craftsman, his performances in Kansai were successful. In 1834, he moved toFushimi-cho, Osaka. He invented various devices such as a portable candle stand (kaichu shokudai, which wasfoldable), and an inexhaustible lamp (mujinto, which automatically refueled by using compressed air toreplenish oils).
Then, he moved to Kyoto. In 1847, he became a disciple of the Tsuchimikado family for learning astronomy.
At that period, he was awarded the title “Omi-Daijo” for the greatest craftsmen from an Imperial Family. He
also entered a private school for Western studies, which Hirose Genkyo ran, and he learned various techniques.
In 1851, he manufactured “Myriad Year Clock (mannen dokei)” which was called the best masterpiece of allJapanese clocks. In the following year, he succeeded in building two steamship models; one with paddle wheels
and the other with propellers. The former is said to be the prototype of Japan’s first made steam warship “RyofuMaru” which was constructed by the Saga Domain.
◆ Hisashige’s Relationship Diagram
Saga Domain
Institute of Physical and Chemical Research

Ishimaru Yasuyo

Sano Tsunetami

Technical advice

Workplace
Yoshi (Wife)(First Chief Commissionerof Telegraphs)(Founder of the Japanese
Red Cross Society)

Fellow
students

Ishiguro Kanji

Inoue Den

Tanaka Hisashige
Imai Sakae

Ogawa Toku

(Inventor of Kurume (Inventor of KurumeKasuri Fabric)
Shima Fabric)(Kurume Domain, Development Department)

MasterStudent BrotherSister

Famous pupils

Nabeshima Kanso(Dutch scholar)(Lord of Saga Domain)

Master-Students

Nakamura Kisuke

Mizuhara Hisao
Hirose Genkyo Ine (Sister)

Father-Son(Chemist)

Rintaro(Teacher ofWestern studies)

Adoption(Mizuma Prefecture,Counsellor)

Ernest Satow
Sister- (British Diplomat)
Brother

Tanaka Gizaemon(Clockmaker)

Adoption

Accidentallydied

Tanaka Seisuke(Engineer of theMinistry of Engineering)

The Second
GiemonAutomata Tea ServerThe Second
Hisashige

Kawaguchi Ichitaro Ishiguro Keisaburo(Engineer of the Ministryof Engineering)

Myriad Year Clock (replica)

Oki Ibataro(Founder of an electronics (Founder of an electronics
company, Oki Electric Industry)company, Anritsu)

Fire Pump

Inexhaustible Lamp

Kurume History Walks / No.39 Tanaka Hisashige, an inventor-engineer

■ Changing places ■He was invited to the Saga Domain on the recommendation of Sano Tsunetami and joined its institute ofphysical and chemical research. In 1862, he became a leading member for the construction of the abovementioned steam warship Ryofu Maru. Also, he contributed to the improvement of a reverberatory furnace foriron refining.
Then, the Kurume Domain heard his reputation and called him back. The first factory was built at YarimizuRyuden, where he produced bronze cannons modeled after the latest Western cannon. In the spring of 1866, trial
launches were conducted as the lord and the leaders of the domain were watching. A cannonball successfully
went far beyond a target on the side of Mt. Tobidake, 2.8 kilometers from the factory.
In 1867, his factory (called Seitetujo) was transferred to near his parents’ house. Rifles, which the domain
used, were produced after the model of a Western one. In 1869, the factory was again relocated to the Nankun
area for its expansion. A steam engine was used as a power source, and over a hundred workers were employed.
However, in July 1871, that business was ceased with the abolition of the domain system. In January 1873,
he moved to Tokyo with his family and pupils and established a manufactory of unusual instruments (ChinkiSeizoujo) in the present-day Minato Ward, Tokyo.

Mt. Tobidake◆ Stone monument of the factory at Yarimizu-Ryuden (left)◆ Stone monument of the factory at Nankun (left)

Mt. Tobidake seen from Ryuden hill (right)

Narrow street remains since that time (right)

Kurume History Walks / No.39 Tanaka Hisashige, an inventor-engineer

■ Grown-up Business ■In 1875, he replaced his factory on a street with newly constructed brick buildings at Ginza. It became
Japan’s first full-scale electric factory. By request from the Ministry of Engineering for launching domestic
production of the telegraph, in 1878, he succeeded in manufacturing two telephones referring to Graham Bell’sinvention. Also, he developed a clock reporting instrument to send the time signal at noon from the Central
Telegraph Office.
On November 7th, 1881, he died at the age of eighty-two. His grave is in the Aoyama cemetery.
In the following year, Tanaka Daikichi (adopted son, the second Hisashige) established a large factory atShibaura. Later, its management rights were bought by Mitsui Bank and came to be called Shibaura Seisakujo(factory). In 1939, it merged with Tokyo Denki cooperation, and it became the present-day Toshiba
Corporation, a Japanese multinational conglomerate manufacturer.
◆ Hisashige’s Lifetime*East Asian age reckoning (When people are born, they are considered to be one year old.)

Japanese Era/Common Era /Age /EventKan’ei 11th(1799)

1

Born at Toricho, Kurume

Bunka

4th(1807)

9

Manufactured an ‘unopened’ writing box

Bunsei2nd(1819)

21

Demonstrated his automata at Gokoku-jinja Shrine etc.

Bunsei7th(1824)

26

Held karakuri performances in Osaka etc.

Tenpo

5th(1834)

36

Moved to Osaka; invented the portable candle standTenpo

8th(1837)

39

Moved to Kyoto; invented the inexhaustible lampKaei

2nd(1849)

51

Got a title of “Omi-Daijo”Kaei

3rd(1850)

52

Manufactured an astronomical clockKaei

4th(1851)

53

Completed the Myriad Year ClockKaei

6th(1853)

55

Joined to the institute of physical and chemical research in Saga

Ansei

2nd(1855)

57

Manufactured models of locomotive and steamboat

Saga Bunkyu 2nd (1862)
Kurume Genji
1st (1864)

64

Completed the steam boiler of Saga Domain’s warship “Denryu Maru”

66

Moved to Kurume; worked for the domains of Kurume and Saga

KurumeOsakaKyoto

Tokyo

Keio

1st(1865)

67

Succeeded in producing Japan’s first steamboat “Ryofu Maru”

Keio

2nd(1866)68

Cast a cannon in Kurume; smuggled himself into Shanghai

Meiji

6th(1873)

75

Moved to Tokyo

Meiji

7th(1874)

76

Started to make a telegraphMeiji

8th(1875)

77

Opened store/factory at Ginza, Tokyo

Meiji

11th(1878)

80

Made trial telephone; completed clock reporting instrument

Meiji

14th(1881)

83

Died at home

Cultural Properties Protection Department of Kurume
Address: 15-3 Jonan Kurume Fukuoka Japan 830-8520 Tel: 0942-30-9225
Date of revision: March 31st, 2014 / Translated in October 2020

Kurume History Walks / No.39 Tanaka Hisashige, an inventor-engineer