Tsuneyoshi Murata

Japanese: 村田経芳 - むらた・つねよし

Year of death: February 9, 1921
Year of birth: Tempo 9.6.10 (1838.7.30)
A Meiji-era rifle designer. Son of Murata Tsunetoku and Sodeko, samurai of the Satsuma (Kagoshima) clan. He studied gunnery at the clan's artillery museum, worked in rifle production, and invented a breech-loading rifle. He served as a platoon leader during the Boshin War, fighting in various parts of the Tohoku region from Toba-Fushimi. In 1871, he became an army captain. In 1875, he went on a business trip to Germany and France to study target practice, and after returning to Japan, he taught target practice as an instructor at Toyama School while also working on rifle development. He served with the expeditionary force during the Seinan War and was injured. In 1888, he invented the Murata rifle, the first domestically produced standard rifle, and thereafter worked as an official at the Tokyo Artillery Arsenal. He then developed an improved version, the Murata rifle, which was mass-produced and equipped the entire army. He also developed the Murata repeating rifle, which was standardized in 1890. These Murata rifles became the main rifles during the Sino-Japanese War. In 1822-23 he travelled around Europe again, meeting the Italian emperor and presenting him with a repeating rifle. In 1823 he became a major general, was transferred to the reserves, and was a member of the House of Peers. In 1829 he became a baron. He excelled at shooting, and is said to have won many shooting competitions in Europe.

(Jun Suzuki)

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

Japanese:

没年：大正10.2.9(1921)
生年：天保9.6.10(1838.7.30)
明治期の小銃設計者。薩摩(鹿児島)藩士村田経徳と袖子の子。藩の砲術館で砲術を学び,小銃の生産に従事して後装銃を発明する。戊辰戦争には小隊長として出征し,鳥羽伏見から東北各地に転戦。明治4(1871)年陸軍大尉。8年射的学研究のためドイツ,フランスに出張,帰国後は戸山学校教官として射的術を講じつつ,小銃の開発に当たる。西南戦争には征討軍付で出征して負傷。13年初の国産制式小銃たる13年式村田銃を発明し,以後東京砲兵工廠御用掛。次いで改良型の18年村田銃を開発,これが量産されて全軍に装備された。さらに村田式連発銃を開発,22年に制式化された。これら一連の村田銃は日清戦争時の主力小銃となる。22～23年には再びヨーロッパを歴遊し,イタリア皇帝に謁見して連発銃を献上した。23年少将,予備役編入,貴族院議員。29年男爵。射的に長じ,ヨーロッパ各地の射的競技に出場して優勝したという。

(鈴木淳)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

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