Shotaro Ikegai

Japanese: 池貝庄太郎 - いけがい・しょうたろう

Year of death: July 28, 1934
Year of birth: October 10, 1869 (November 13, 1869)
A businessman from the Meiji and Taisho periods. Founder of Ikegai Iron Works (Ikegai). Born in Tokyo as the eldest son of Ikegai Shigeemon, a samurai of Kachiyama Domain in Awa Province (Chiba Prefecture). In 1881, he became an apprentice at Nishimura Iron Works in Yokohama, and then in 1885, he moved to Tanaka Hisashige's Factory. After gaining fame as a lathe operator there, in May 1899, he founded the Ikegai Factory in Kanasugi Kawaguchi-cho, Shiba Ward, Tokyo, with two lathes. Initially, the factory manufactured various machines, but gradually the focus shifted to machine tools and oil engines. In 1903, he created the Ikegai standard lathe, a combination of British and American styles, and improved and expanded the factory's facilities under the guidance of Francis, a former teacher at Tokyo Higher Technical School (Tokyo Institute of Technology), thereby establishing the foundations for the company as a leading machine tool manufacturer. In June 1906, with investment from the Chiba brothers Matsubei and Tsunejiro, he organized the Ikegai Iron Works Limited Partnership (capital 250,000 yen) and became its president. In April 1913, the company was reorganized as a joint-stock company (capital 500,000 yen), but he continued to lead the company as president, and during the recession following World War I, he made an active effort to develop new products, such as entering the printing machinery market and completing the airless fuel-injection diesel engine, and, working with his younger brother Kishiro, who displayed outstanding technical talent, developed the company into a leading machinery manufacturer. From 1901 until his death, he held the important position of deputy head of the Tokyo Ironworks and Machinery Trade Association, and was also active in mediating interests within the machinery industry and making recommendations. <References> Hanabusa Kingo (ed.), "Ikegai Iron Works 50 Year History," and Hayasaka Chikara (ed.), "Ikegai Kishiro Reminiscences."

(Minoru Sawai)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：昭和9.7.28(1934)
生年：明治2.10.10(1869.11.13)
明治大正期の実業家。池貝鉄工所(池貝)の創立者。安房国(千葉県)加知山藩士池貝重右衛門の長男として東京に生まれる。明治14(1881)年横浜の西村鉄工場の徒弟となり,その後18年に田中久重工場に移る。そこで旋盤師としての名声を博したのち,22年5月に東京芝区金杉川口町に旋盤2台を有する池貝工場を創業。当初同工場は諸機械を製作したが次第に工作機械,石油発動機などを主製品とするようになり,38年の英米式を折衷した池貝式標準旋盤の創製,元東京高等工業学校(東工大)嘱託教師フランシスの指導による工場設備の整備拡充によって代表的工作機械メーカーとしての基礎を確立した。39年6月には千葉松兵衛・恒次郎兄弟からの出資を得て合資会社池貝鉄工所(資本金25万円)を組織し,社長に就任。大正2(1913)年4月同社は株式会社(資本金50万円)に改組されるがその後も引き続き社長として経営を指揮し,第1次世界大戦後の不況期における印刷機械への進出,無気噴油ディーゼル機関の完成など積極的な新製品開発に努め,技術面で卓越した才能を発揮した弟喜四郎と協力しつつ同社を有数の機械メーカーに発展させた。14年から没するまで東京鉄工機械同業組合副組長の要職にあって機械業界の利害調整,建議活動などにも活躍した。<参考文献>花房金吾編『池貝鉄工所五十年史』,早坂力編『池貝喜四郎追想録』

(沢井実)

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