Former site of the Seimikyoku (Chemical Institute) - Kyoto

It can be said that it is a historical site of the modernization of Kyoto in the Meiji and Taisho eras. Currently an art high school, Is the cute jump-out a student's work?

"Seimi" is a translation of the Dutch word Shemy, which means chemistry. RIKEN was established by Kyoto Prefecture for the purpose of promoting the industry of Kyoto, which was stagnant due to the transfer of the capital to Tokyo. Masanano Makimura, the governor of the prefecture, was tentatively established by the proposal of Hirotaka Akashi in 1870, and the building was completed in the same year. We recruited a wide range of students and invited foreign scholars such as German Wagner to manufacture Kyoto's traditional industries such as ceramics, textiles, and dyeing, as well as Japan's first manufacturing of soap, gun water (ramune), and beverages such as beer. , Cloisonne, manufacturing of glass, etc., worked on research and dissemination of industrial chemistry. In addition, full-scale physics and chemistry lectures nurtured many human resources such as Genzo Shimadzu and played a major role in the development of modern industry in Kyoto. It was closed due to the transfer of Governor Makimura in 1887, and the building disappeared in 28, after which the Dohda School was built. About the seimi station The Seimikyo is a government-owned and public institution created for research and education of chemical technology and solicitation during the Meiji Restoration. It was installed in Osaka in 1869 (Meiji 2) and in Kyoto in 1870 (Meiji 3), and the former is called the "Osaka Building Secret Bureau" and the latter is called the "Kyoto Building Secret Bureau". Among them, the Osaka House Secret Bureau became the source of the Third Higher School (predecessor school of Kyoto University). Kyoto Building Secret Bureau It was established in October 1870 by Hirotaka Akashi, who studied under Haratama at the Osaka Building Secret Bureau and served in Kyoto Prefecture, and opened in December of the same year. We provided manufacturing guidance and drug certification for various industrial products such as soap, rock candy, glass, and drifting powder. The secret bureau itself was under the jurisdiction of Kyoto Prefecture, but in February 1875, the "Kyoto Pharmacy" under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education was added, and a lecture on physics and chemistry was given by Dutch teacher Hertz (Geertz). It was abolished in August of the following year. The Seimi Bureau invited Wagner as a successor foreign teacher to become a teacher at Kagaku School and to instruct manufacturing improvements such as Cloisonne (one of whom he studied was Genzo Shimadzu). Genzo Shimadzu and the Secret Bureau Genzo was born as the second son of Seibei Shimadzu, who was a manufacturer of Buddhist altars at Samegai Uotana (currently near Horikawa Rokujo) in Kyoto. He ruled the family business and opened a store in Nijo, Kiyamachi at the age of 21 in 1860 (the first year of Man'en). This area was close to the end of the Takase River shipping service and was an important distribution base at that time. In addition, Kyoto Prefecture established a business center and a secret bureau in the vicinity in 1870 (Meiji 3) for the breeding industry, and Genzo began to enter and leave the secret bureau. Genzo, who gained knowledge here, began manufacturing educational physics and chemistry equipment on March 31, 1875 (Meiji 8), and founded Shimadzu Corporation. At the 1st National Industrial Exhibition in 1877 (Meiji 10), a tin medical bootie was exhibited and received a reward from the Lord of Home Affairs, Toshimichi Okubo. In the same year, Kyoto Prefecture planned the first popular ball in Japan to raise awareness of scientific thought, and Genzo became responsible for its execution. For the gas ball part, a habutae coated with resin rubber melted in sesame oil was used, and hydrogen gas generated from iron scraps and sulfuric acid using 10 four-toed barrels was sealed inside. A flight test was conducted at the Sento Imperial Palace on December 6th of the same year, when the soul festival was held, and the balloon ascended to a height of 36m in front of a crowd of 50,000 people. It is said that this has greatly improved the name recognition of Genzo. The following year, from February 3, 1878 (Meiji 11), Kyoto Prefecture invited Gottfried Wagner to the Secretariat for three years. His duties include teaching chemical crafts, and he was also in contact with Genzo, who had come and went to manufacture physics and chemistry instruments. The wooden lathe sent by Wagner still exists at the Shimadzu Foundation Memorial Museum. In addition, the catalog at that time contained a distiller with the explanation "Wagner's new invention." Genzo later became involved in science education, published the "Physical and Chemical Crafts Magazine" in 1886 (Meiji 19), and served as a teaching profession at the Kyoto Prefectural Normal School (currently Kyoto University of Education) for one year. It was. He died at the age of 55 due to cerebral hemorrhage on December 8, 1894 (Meiji 27). After his death, his eldest son, Umejiro, took the name of the second generation, Genzo Shimazu, and became his successor. (Source: Wikipedia) By the way, the first Genzo is the founder of Shimadzu Corporation, and the second Genzo is the founder of GS Yuasa.