Tanaka Hisashige

An engineer from the end of the Edo period to the early Meiji period. Born as the eldest son of a tortoiseshell craftsman in Kurume. Gifted in craftsmanship and invention, he was also known as Karakuri Giemon because of his ingenious "Karakuri" dolls. In 1813 (Bunka 10), he collaborated with Inoue Den to invent egasuri, and after his father's death in 1817, he handed over the family business to his younger brother. In 1824 (Bunsei 7), he trained in Hizen Province (Saga Prefecture), Higo Province (Kumamoto Prefecture), Osaka, and Kyoto, and in 1834 (Tenpo 5), he settled in Osaka, where he invented, manufactured, and sold pocket candlesticks and inexhaustible lamps, while continuing to hone his skills. In 1837, his belongings were burned down during the Oshio Heihachiro Rebellion, and he moved to Fushimi, Kyoto. There, he formed a friendship with Toda Tozaburo Tadayuki, a metalworker who had once made precision instruments for Hazama Shigetomi, an astronomer for the shogunate. Through this relationship, he continued to manufacture and sell instruments while studying astronomy and calendar science under the Tsuchimikado family, which was a specialist in astronomy and calendar science. In 1849 (Kaei 2), he was awarded the title of Omi Daijo by Daikakuji Temple, and using this title, he opened a shop called "Karakurido" in Shijo Karasuma, Kyoto in 1852. During this time, he produced a Shumisengi (1847), and also became friends with the Dutch scholar Hirose Genkyo, learning European knowledge and technology. In 1851, he produced a perpetual clock (a clock with a bell), which was a masterpiece of Japanese clocks, using a European pocket watch to improve its accuracy and displaying Western and Japanese time, the seven days of the week, the 24 solar terms, the phases of the moon, and the Chinese zodiac. He also produced many other high-quality Japanese clocks, and in 1853, he was invited to the Saga domain to work at a refinery, where he produced Japan's first locomotive model. In 1864 (Genji 1), he was invited to the Kurume domain, and in 1866 (Keio 2), he accompanied the domain's Imai Sakae (1822-1869) to Shanghai to purchase warships. In 1875 (Meiji 8), he set up shop in Tokyo's Ginza district, and opened the Tanaka Manufacturing Company, which became Japan's first private machinery factory. As a government-designated factory, the company manufactured and repaired telegraph equipment, which became Shibaura Engineering Works and is today's Toshiba. It also trained many engineers in the early days of precision machinery and machining technology in Japan. One of his students, Daikichi Kaneko (1864-1905), was adopted and took on the Tanaka family name, and after his adoptive father's death, he took the name Hisashige II.

[Satoshi Ihara]

"The Life of Tanaka Hisashige, Founder of Toshiba and Pioneer of Modern Technology, by Kenji Imazu (1964, Kadokawa Shoten)" "Karakuri Giemon - Tanaka Hisashige, Founder of Toshiba and His Times, by Kenji Imazu (1992, Diamond Inc.)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

幕末から明治初期の技術者。久留米(くるめ)のべっこう細工職人の長男に生まれた。細工や発明の才に優れ、巧妙な「からくり」人形を製作したりしたことから「からくり儀右衛門(ぎえもん)」ともよばれた。1813年（文化10）井上伝(いのうえでん)に協力して絵絣(えがすり)を発明、1817年父の死後、家業を弟に譲り、1824年（文政7）肥前国（佐賀県）、肥後国（熊本県）、大坂、京都に技術修業し、1834年（天保5）大坂に居を構え、懐中燭台(かいちゅうしょくだい)や無尽灯(むじんとう)を発明、製造販売するかたわら、なおその技量を磨いた。1837年大塩平八郎の乱で家財を焼失、京都伏見(ふしみ)に転居した。ここで幕府天文方間重富(はざましげとみ)がかつて精密器械をつくらせていた金工戸田東三郎忠行と親交を結び、その紹介で器械製造販売を続けながら天文暦学の土御門家(つちみかどけ)で天文暦学を学んだ。1849年（嘉永2）近江大掾(おうみのだいじょう)の号を大覚寺より授けられ、これを利用して1852年京都四条烏丸(からすま)に「機巧堂(からくりどう)」という店を出した。この間、須弥山儀(しゅみせんぎ)を製作（1847）、また蘭学者(らんがくしゃ)広瀬元恭(ひろせげんきょう)と親交を結びヨーロッパの知識や技術を学び、1851年万年時計（自鳴鐘）を製作、これはヨーロッパの懐中時計を利用して精度を高め、洋式・日本式時刻、七曜、二十四節気、月の満ち欠け、干支(えと)をも表示する和時計の傑作である。このほか多数の高級和時計をつくり、1853年には佐賀藩精錬方に招かれ、日本最初の機関車模型を製作、1864年（元治1）久留米藩に招かれ、1866年（慶応2）同藩の今井栄（1822―1869）に従って軍艦買付けのため上海(シャンハイ)に渡った。1875年（明治8）東京の銀座に店を構え、田中製造所を開業、日本最初の民間機械工場となった。政府の指定工場として電信器の修理・製作にあたり、これが芝浦製作所となり今日の東芝へと連なる。日本の精密機械、工作技術の草創期に多くの技術者も育てた。なお、弟子の金子大吉（1864―1905）が養子となって田中姓を継ぎ、養父没後、2代目久重を襲名した。

［井原　聰］

『今津健治著『近代技術の先駆者東芝創立者田中久重の生涯』（1964・角川書店）』▽『今津健治著『からくり儀右衛門――東芝創立者田中久重とその時代』（1992・ダイヤモンド社）』

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