Imperial College of Engineering

35°40′18″N 139°44′45″E / 35.6717955°N 139.7457547°E / 35.6717955; 139.7457547

The Imperial College of Engineering (工部大学校, Kōbudaigakkō) was a Japanese institution of higher education that was founded during the Meiji era. The college was established under the auspices of the Ministry of Public Works for the training of young Japanese engineers.

Supporting Japan’s rapid industrialization at the end of the 19th century, the college commenced teaching in October 1873 soon after the initial cohort of teaching staff arrived from United Kingdom. The college was an immediate precursor to the establishment of the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Engineering in 1886.

In the process of founding the Public Works, Edmund Morel, a chief engineer for Railway Department of the Meiji Japanese government emphasized importance of engineering institution, which would create young Japanese engineers and technicians leading rapid modernization without help of foreign officers. On September 24, 1871, the Public Works was formed with 11 departments, one of which was the Engineering Institution (Kogaku Rio). The main function was to produce professional engineers through the engineering college, which would consist of college and school. Morel together with Yozo Yamao, head of the institution, endeavoured to find proper teaching staff through their connections, while construction work of the college school was commended by surveyors of the Public Works in the end of 1871. After Morel died, Yamao consulted with Hugh Matheson, who found teaching staff through his connection with Lewis Gordon, William Rankine and William Thompson. The principal appointed by Rankine was Henry Dyer, a 25-year-old scholar who just finished his engineering education in the University of Glasgow.

Henry Dyer prepared the academic calendar and curriculum while traveling by ship from Britain to Japan over a period of two months. As Yamao accepted the calendar without any revision, Dyer opened the college and commenced teaching with other 6 instructors in October 1873.

The college programme was six years consisting of basic course, technical course and field practice two years each, and repeated theory and practice six months each following Rankine's Sandwich programme. This kind of programme had been implemented in the Indian Engineering College a year ago. As Dyer confessed that the Royal Indian Engineering College was the best engineering institution for the Britain, he so rearranged the programme suitable for Japan, including field practice within the college course and extending the programme into six years. Dyer took Akabane Workshop of the Public Works for students' practice.

The Imperial College of Engineering comprised the following schools: architecture, chemistry, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, metallurgy, mining, shipbuilding, and telegraphy, and taught in English. Students were required to write notes and graduation theses in English. Some of these survive and are on display at the National Science Museum (国立科学博物館, Kokuritsu Kagaku Hakubutsukan) in Ueno Park, Tokyo (New Building, 2F (second floor)).

After the Public Works was abolished in 1885, the college was transferred to the Ministry of Education (文部省, Monbusho), and the Imperial College of Engineering became part of the Imperial University (later the University of Tokyo) when it was created by the Ministry of Education in 1886.