Technicians and Scientists in the Edo Period
1. IntroductionManyresearches

andsurveys

have

been

made

on

the

subjects

oftheindustrialization of Japan after the opening of the country during the Meiji Era, and on
the advancement of manufacturing and industrial technology in Japan up to the end of
the 20th century, making the subjects widely known. However, elucidation concerning
the history of the development of the industrial technology during the period of
seclusion in the Edo Period is far from being sufficient domestically and internationally.
Even today, many people view the development of the scientific and manufacturing
technologies during the Edo Period with a negative image or sense of stagnation.
I would like to introduce in this report, one of the organizations of the various skilledlaborers in the Edo Period as an example, and at the same time, make comments on
the subject of the Japanese manufacturing technology from the point that Japan wasable to walk the road to becoming a country with a remarkable industrial technology
after entering the Meiji Era, which was unprecedented in the world, only because
science, technology and manufacturing in Japan had already risen to the equivalentlevel of the developed nations in the West by the latter half of the Edo Period.
2. Research Project “Inventions in the Edo Period”
From the year 2001, “Research on the Systemization of Materials on Science andTechnology at the dawn in Japan” (AKA, “The inventions in the Edo Period”) has beencommenced as a Monbu Kagakusho Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research on priority
areas. This large-scale research project aims to reveal the true picture of the“inventions in the Edo Period”. The project deals mainly with documents on theactivities that had taken place in the fields of science and technology in our country
during the Edo Period, and the data on many types of measuring instruments,
astronomical instruments, medical instruments, firearms, electronic generators,
telescopes, glasses, clocks, and mechanism (karakuri or gimmick), as being thematerials to understand the science and technology of the premodern Japan from bothaspects of knowledge and practice.
I am a member of one of the research groups, the “Comprehensive Research on theInternal and External Specialty Collection”. Kazuyoshi Suzuki of the National Science
Museum stated in regards to the significance of this research projects as follows; “Byrevealing evidence and proof of our high level scientific technology and splendor of
manufacturing in the Edo Period, I hope that the modern Japanese people be proudand confident of themselves.”
The first “Inventions in the Edo Period” International Symposium was held in
Kanazawa City in Ishikawa Prefecture, in May 2002. Figure 1 is the title page of thesymposium pamphlet. Professor Josef Kreiner of the University of Bonn, director of theInstitute of Japanese Studies, delivered a keynote speech entitled, “Research on Japanand the Establishment of the Japanese Collection in Europe”. Here is a brief
introduction of his speech from the aspect of cultural and technological exchange
between Japan and Western Europe before the Meiji Era. (1). From the 17th century to
the 19th century, the Japan Boom had hit various areas in Europe, and the knowledge
and products of Japan, such as Urushi (japan) ware, armors, Japanese kimonos, tea,
medical herbs, ceramic ware, folding screens, Japanese paper, architecture, paintings,
and stage art had diffused throughout Europe. The Royalties and aristocrats in Europe
competed in collecting Japanese products of arts and crafts, as a symbol of status, andstored them in their Treasure Manors. According to Professor Kreiner, not only theroyalties, but also the commoners attempted to take Japanese items into their living
spaces. In one town in Europe, the Japanese kimono became such a big fashion that a
notice was sent out to the townspeople stating that “the Kimono is prohibited whenattending church on Sundays”. It first began with the Ryukyu lacquer ware, and thisgold lacquer technology of Japan had greatly surprised the European craftsmen.
Ukiyoe had a deep impact on many painters of the period, and everybody knows thatthe use of color on the Japanese ceramic ware, such as the Arita-yaki led to the birth of
the Meissen ware. Listening to the professor’s lecture made me realize the splendor of
the Japanese culture and the manufacturing technologies that were particular to
Japan in the Edo Period. I also hoped for another big Japan boom during the 21st
century.
3. Wood Turners in the Edo Period Established the Foundation for the Industry of
Manufacture
The forest area in our country still dominates 67% of the national land today (2000
Forestry Agency Statistics), and Japan has fostered woodwork culture from the oldendays. Today, even with a heavy usage of materials such as metals and plastics, most of
the Japanese people still prefer wood for tableware and residential spaces. The
physical factors for the deep desire for woodwork are not only the rich woodland andthe changes in the seasonal climate, but most importantly, that the Japanese people
disliked the rust on metals caused by the hot and humid summer.
I would like to point out below that the wood turners, who actively raced through themountains throughout Japan during the Edo Period, had structured the foundation forthe manufacturing industry of Japan.
Wood turners were the craftsmen who cut down trees such as the horse chestnut
trees, beech trees, and zelkoova trees, and then using manual turners, created wooden
products such as bowls and trays. The word wood turners cover four types of craftsmen,
namely the turners, wooden ladle makers, lacquerers, and drawing box makers. Mostof the wood turners had left the village and entered into the deep mountains to follow
their business of woodcrafts. When good lumber had depleted, they would immigrate toa new land. In other words, they were wandering people.
Figure 2 is a photo of the manual turner (taken from the History of Eigenj-cho, Wood
Turner Edition, Lower volume (2)). There is a steel nail at the right side edge where thewood is fixed and turned. The turner is operated by 2 persons. One person holds therope with both hands and turns the turner by pulling on the rope, and the other person
shapes the wood with turner plane, which is a type of chisel (steel stick of different
shapes on a handle).
The turning technology in Japan is thought to have already existed during the Nara
Period, however, it was during the Edo Period when the status of the wood turners
became secured and a large-scale ruling sytem was established to provide special
privileges, such as the freedom to travel and exemption from labor. The Tsutsui-shrinein Hirutani, and the Takamatsu-palace in Kimigahata, both located in Eigenji town in
Shiga Prefecture, controlled and governed the group of wood turners from Tohoku(East-North region) to Kyushu (Kyushu island in south). The fore-mentioned twoplaces had founded the status of the wood turners as parishioners (Ujiko), and so they
traveled all around Japan to collect the first crop fee and the subscription fee from thewood turners in exchange of distributing amulets and providing official guarantees.
Records of levy travels are found in the “List of Parishioners (Ujiko-kari-cho)”. The“List of Parishioners” of Hirutani, a record from 1647 to 1893 in 34 books, and the “Listof Parishioners” of Kimigahata, a record from 1694 to 1873 in 53 books, still exist today.
The two books from Hirutani and Kimigahata were organized and edited into the“History of Eigenji Town, Wood Turner Edition” (2), which was published last year.
Figure 3 shows the photos of the amulets and official guarantee with thechrysanthemum

crest

that

were

distributed

at

the

Tsutsui-shrine

(2).

The

chrysanthemum crest with 16 petals, which is the symbol of Japanese emperor, isengraved on amulets following a legend that it was the Imperial Prince Koretaka that
became the first of the wood turners after entering into the mountain in Eigenji town
in Heian Period. Figure 4 shows in a graph the number of times each town and village

was recorded in each volume of the two books according to prefectures. The higher thegraph is, the longer the wood turners had performed their duties as the parishioners.
Incidentally, the number of names recorded in the book in the year around 1726 wasapproximately 1,500 persons. As it can be seen in Figure 4, the distribution of wood
turners under the jurisdiction of Eigenji town spread from Tohoku to Kyushu totaling
36 prefectures. The 10 prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Ibaraki, Chiba, Toyama,
Ishikawa, Saga, Kagoshima, and Okinawa have no record of wood turners, however, it
does not necessarily mean that wood turners did not exist in these prefectures.
Ishikawa and Toyama, in particular, had their unique system for wood turners, notrequiring the control from Eigenji town.
During the Edo Period, over 2000 wood turners had traveled in the mountainous
areas throughout Japan, with their turners and saws, seeking good quality wood. They
had manufactured bowls and trays used in the daily lives of the people with theiroutstanding skills. They had formed a large-scale group of craftsmen centering in the
Eigenji town in Shiga Prefecture. These are the facts that should be noted in the
manufacturing history of Japan. It is easily inferred that the turning technology anddelicate craftsmanship demonstrated by the wood turners to the villagers throughout
Japan had widely influenced the manufacturing and processing of the toothed wheel
and cam that are necessary for the improvement of agricultural machines and loom,
even influencing the processing of metals later.
Figure 5 shows the scene of bowl making using the two-person turner. This
two-person turner was used for the manufacturing of products of various sizes, startingwith a small seal impression, tinwork, up to the processing of the large bronze bell.
Figure 6 shows the scene of making the tobacco pipe using the Archimedian drill,which is the tool to bear holes. The turner and the Archimedian drill are the lathe andboring machine of the modern time, and they were used during the Edo Period for
manufacturing processes of many different items. Brass gear of precision used for bed
clocks appeared in the latter part of Edo Period, and they must have also been
manufactured using the turner and the Archimedian drill along with rasps. Figure 7
shows the back of the main body of the bed clock that was manufactured in the latter
half of the Edo Period. The large toothed wheel in the center is the count wheel
determining the number of clocks striking from 9 to 4 (The temporal hour system wasprevalent amongst Japanese people during the Tokugawa period, in which the daytime andnighttime were divided into 6 equal-divisions, from 9 to 4), and the toothed wheel on thebottom right is a stop work for winding the spring. They are both of brass,manufactured beautifully with precision.

4. No New Product Law (Kyoho Reforms) and the Patent System during the Edo Period
Counter-reactions to the prosperous years beginning with the Tokugawa Shogunate
to the end of the Bunka/Bunsei Era, the years of Yoshimune, the 8th Shogun of
Tokugawa, (reigned: 1716-1745) experienced a serious stagnation in business.
Yoshimune banned various luxuries, known as the Kyoho reforms. One of the rulings
was the banning of the manufacturing of new products, known as the “No New ProductLaw”. Figure 8 shows the text of the No New Product Law (as taken from the collectionof laws in Kanei and Kyoho eras) that was declared in 1721. This No New Product Law
was frequently put into effect in the years thereafter. Guilds of craftsman andmerchants, numbering over 90, were formed, where they watched each other to checkthat the law was honored. Yoshimune had also ordered the guilds to report to themagistrate’s office when offenders were found.
In the past, controversy existed over the discussion on the impact of this No New
Product Law on the development of the manufacturing technology in Japan. Many
reports found stated that one of the factors in the stagnation in the industry during the
Edo Period was this No New Product Law. On the other hand, along with thedevelopment of researches and investigations into the scientific technology andindustrial technology, it has become more widely accepted that after the enactment of
the No New Product Law, a variety of inventions had taken place in the field ofindustrial technology.
Yoshimune had declared the No New Product Law in order to correct the trend ofexcessive luxury and to re-establish the Shogunate economy. At the same time, he had
encouraged domestic products. Each feudal clan and magistrate’s office issued a “stock”
to the invention of townspeople to guarantee the inventor‘s exclusive right on the
product. It was during the 1750s that the “stock”, which is the beginning of the patent
system, had appeared. For example, the feudal clan of Takamatsu began to work on the
improvement of the technical skill of sugar manufacturing, leading to the success in
producing white sugar. The clan also established a sugar market place in Osaka. The
authority also gave permission to Tozaemon Nakajima who was a farmer and theinventor of powdered konnyaku in Mito, to set up a konnyaku (paste made from thearum root) market place and approved the right of monopoly in 1776. Each clan
granted permissions to open product markets and rights of monopoly as a privilege to
new technical developers (3).
In this way, the No New Product Law had not really caused stagnation in industries.
Instead, the development of specialty products by feudal clans had taken place yearshereafter and the domestic market had revived its liveliness.
Next, I would like to state my personal opinion on the relationship between the No
New Product Law and the development of the scientific technology of Japan. I would
like to focus on the exception of the No New Product Law (Fig. 7), which banned
inventions and new ideas. New products for shows, divine services and festivals(according to the proclamation made later) were excluded from the scope of the law.
Inventions and ideas involved in entertainment, such as the Karakuri wooden puppet
used for shows and for festivities were not restricted by this No New Product Law. As aresult, the No New Product Law had brought into life creative masters of Karakuri,
who were interested in scientific technology.
5. Versatile Scientific and Technical Experts: Masters of Karakuri in Edo Period
If I must point out 3 famous masters of Karakuri during Edo, they will be; 1. Hanzo
Yorinao Hosokawa (1741-1796) who published “An Illustrated Anthology of Karakuri”
and who was involved in the calendar reform during the Kansei Period, 2. Hisashige
Tanaka (1799-1880),AKA Karakuri Gizaemono, a native of Kurume and creator of thegreatest masterwork of the Karakuri wooden puppet named “Yumiiri Douji (archer
puppet)” and the “myriad year clock”, later became the founder of Toshiba, 3. Benkichi
Ono (1800-1871) has been called the Da Vinci of Kaga, and he had expertise in, notonly the Karakuri puppets, but also in mathematics and medicine. What the threemasters held in common were that they were brought up in the environment of
manufacturing, showed interests in variety of things, and after reaching adulthood,they had avidly absorbed the most advanced science of the West that came in throughNagasaki. They became versatile scientific and technical experts with great knowledge
in mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, and medicine, and even after reaching the ageof 50, they had never lost their insatiable ambition (4).
Figure 9 shows the “archer puppet” (Hisashige Tanaka, from Toyota Collection),
which is known to be the best of the Edo Karakuri. Figure 10 is the greatest creation of
the Japanese clock, the “myriad year clock” (owned by Toshiba Inc., displayed at the
National Science Museum). (Full photo of the myriad year clock is the photo of themodel recreated for the 100th anniversary of foundation of Toshiba, partiallyremodeled by the writer).
The “archer puppet” classified into Zashiki Karakuri, karakuri puppets produced forindividual amusement, is an automatic puppet made of wood. The puppet picks up thefour arrows placed on a table one by one, and shoot them to a mark placed 2 meters
away. If the arrow hits the mark, the doll joyfully goes to fetch the next arrow. The

moving power is the phosphor bronze spring, and the 6 groups of cam and lever moves
the 11 strings. With the minimal movement of the face, it expresses the seriousness inaiming the mark, and the joy when the arrow had hit the mark. From the 17th century
to the beginning of the 20th century, a large number of automata (automatic dolls)
were created in West Europe. The principle structure of the Japanese Karakuri
puppets is the same, however, the expressive method to the audience greatly differs.
Japanese Karakuri puppets are unique in expressing their emotions.
The “myriad year clock” in Fig. 10 exhibits topnotch artwork with its cloisonné
decorations. Nevertheless, here I would like to introduce the work as that which
exhibits a high manufacturing technology of precision (processing and metallurgical
technologies) and high standards of horology, astronomy, and mechanism. The myriad
year clock has 6-sided faces. The first face is like the western type of clock using themechanism from Switzerland, the second is the Warigoma type automatic rotation hourplate commonly seen in Japanese clocks, and the 6th plate is the hour plate with lunar
surface device, which provides the phases of the moon and the date. Other faces
express the seven days of a week and the oriental zodiac. Furthermore, on the top of
the clock, there is a planetarium, which shows the rotation of the sun and the moon
above the map of Japan. The power moving the clock consists of 2 groups of 4 phosphor
bronze springs, and the movement of the Swiss clock on the first face leads to the
movement of the hours and minutes for all other hour plates, and the movement of thesun and the moon is realized with a metallic mechanism structure. In this way, the“myriad year clock” utilizes an extremely high level mechanism, created with the
combination of science, technology and expertise.
In the latter years of the Edo Period, the Karakuri puppet dolls, or wooden robots,
had established themselves as the culture of Japan. Hisashige Tanaka must have
known that the automatons in Western Europe were metallic made automatic puppets
capable of conducting the exactly same movements as human beings. Even though hehad possessed an extremely precise metallic processing skill as seen in the “myriad
year clock”, he had created the “archer puppet” all in wood, not only for its outerappearance, but also for the inner structure. Karakuri puppets are not created torealize movements that are exactly the same as those of human beings, but are created
so that the movements and expressions of the puppets differ subtly according to theenvironment (climate, location) and the mood of the puppeteer and the audience.
Robotics, that were fostered by the Shibai Karakuri (theater puppet), Zashiki
Karakuri (room puppet), and Parade Float Karakuri (carriage puppet) in the Edo
Period, had led the Japanese people to love robots. The number of industrial robots inJapan used today still dominates the majority of the robots used in the world. Robotcontests are held throughout Japan with avid participation by children and adults (6).
Let it be known in the world that robots make use of the features of inter-personal
relationships as exhibited in the Karakuri puppets, so that the robots can be accepted
at ease by all the people in the world, leading to the creation of robots that willcontribute to the happiness of human beings. Here may exist the new direction for the
manufacturing in Japan.
6. Conclusion
The wood turner group, controlled by Eigenji town, existed from the beginning of the
Edo Period to the 1880s. In modern times, they must have taken up the role of thecreation, accumulation, and diffusion of the skills of the town factory or small andmedium size corporations that support the manufacturing of Japan. Their contribution
to the development of manufacturing in Japan today is immense.
The Japanese industry has not been able to break out of the difficult times after thecollapse of the bubble economy. Currently, Japan is quite similar to the Kyoho time in
the Edo Period, experiencing a sluggish economy after being accustomed to
extravagance and with the government taking expanded measures. Yoshimune had
proclaimed the “No New Product Law” which on the surface, seemed outrageous,
however, at the same time he encouraged the down-to-earth development of specialty
products by each clan and re-established the industrial economy. Furthermore, the “No
New Product Law”, as a result, brought into life many “masters of Karakuri” who canbe considered as all-around scientific technologists, and also fostered robotic particular
to Japan. What is equivalent to the “No New Product Law” in this modern time? “Good
quality products at a low price” is the cardinal rule for the market economy. However,as a result, it has led to the age of heavy consumption. We have reached the time where
there is a need to bring out measures that will promote changes to the “manufacturingof products for long-term use, energy conserving, and to put importance on
environmental issues.”

References(1) Inventions in the Edo Era Office (Supervisory Section). The first “inventions in the
Edo Period” international symposium documents. National Science Museum(2002).
(2) Town History Editing Committee (2001). Eigenji town history, wood turner edition.
(Vol. 1 and 2) Eigenji Town.
(3) Tetsuo Tomita (Jan. 25, 1995). Patent news. International Trade and Industry
Research Committee.
(4) Toshihiko Kikuchi (1988). Illustrated reference book, technology in the Edo Period.
(Volume 1 and 2). Kowa.
(5) Ryoichi Suematsu (2000). Robot loving Japanese ① “Japan, kingdom of robots”.
Architect, Japanese Architectural Society Tokai Branch, 7, 4.
(6) Ryoichi Suematsu (2001). Robot loving Japanese ④ “Robot contest that attracts
younger generation”. Architect, Japanese Architectural Society Tokai Branch, 4, 4.
(7) Ryoichi Suematsu (2001). Robot loving Japanese ⑥ “Future of Robotics”. Architect,Japanese Architectural Society Tokai Branch, 10, 4.

“Technicians and Scientists in the Edo period” Figures

Fig.1

The pamphlet of the first international symposium on Inventions in the Edo Period

Fig.2

Manual Turner (Hirutani Wood Turner Reference Library)

Fig.3

Seal and wooden amulet (Hirutani shrine)Fig.4

Distribution of areas of activity of the wood turners controlled by Eigenji town

Fig.5 Scene of wood turners at work using a turner: Wakoku-shoshoku-ezukushi (occupationsin Japan expressed in pictures) (1685) (3)

Fig.6

Scene of drilling a hole by a tobacco pipe maker using the Archimedian drill: Imayo

Shokunin-zukushi Uta-awase (1821) (3)Fig.7

Brass gear of precision processing (photo taken by the writer)

Bed Clock created by Shigenori in the latter part of Edo Period (backside) Toyota Collection

Fig.8 The No New Product Law ordained in 1721
Taken from the collection of laws in Kanei and Kyoho erasFig.9“Archer Puppet” by Hisashige Tanaka, Toyota Collection (photo taken by the writer)Fig.10“Myriad Year Clock” by Hisashige Tanaka, owned by Toshiba, exhibited in National

Museum(Top photo: model, bottom right: second face, bottom left: sixth face, bottom center:
upper celestial globe. Photos taken by the writer)