February 1876 / Workshop of the Imperial College of Engineering, Japanese Ministry of Engineering / Brass, ivory, ebonite, wood, in cedar wood case / Formerly a collection of the Engineering Design Room of the Industrial Engineering Department, the University of Tokyo / UMUT

This engineering heritage is most precious in that it proves the existence of an inscription original to the Imperial College of Engineering (ICE) of the Ministry of Works in the first years of Meiji. The ICE was an education institution for engineering established within the Ministry of Works in order to introduce engineering technology from the West. With British teachers such as Henry Dyer, the College opened in August 1873 with an integrated training in engineering spanning over 6 years (including a preparatory course, a specialized course and a practical course of 2 years each). The inscription “February 1876” corresponds to the period when the first promotion entered the specialized course, after having completed the preparatory course. Technical drawing was a fundamental discipline for the preparatory and specialized courses in mechanical and naval engineering.

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