On Furnaces, Bread, and Cannons: Egawa Tarozaemon (1801-1855)

Good morning, everyone! Today I would like to talk to you for a little while about an early Japanese industrialist. This goes beyond my usual Tōhoku focus, but it still involves rural Japan, history, and lesser-known figures and facts.

It's often assumed that the Meiji period (1868-1912) is when Japan made the spectacular jump from feudal backwater to industrialized, modern nation. However, what seems to be a sudden change came about, in part, because of processes that were already at work before 1868. This is where our topic for today, Egawa Hidetatsu, comes in. (at left: A self-portrait by Egawa)

Three big points I'd like you to remember about Egawa.

1. His very old family roots and classical education.
2. Despite those roots, his interest in and advocacy for technological and institutional innovation.
3. His role as teacher to some of the major innovators of the 1860s.

More on Egawa after the jump.