Genzo Shimadzu, Sr., and Genzo Shimadzu, Jr. Genzo Shimadzu, Sr.
Japan’s rapid modernization in the second half of the 19th
century was made possible by such people of vision as Genzo
Shimadzu, Sr. and Jr. Genzo Shimadzu, Jr. Genzo Shimadzu, Sr.,
began his career as a maker of Buddhist altars, but Japan’s
growing interest in Western technology after 1868 opened his
eyes to new opportunities. Through the Physics and Chemistry
Research Institute in Kyoto, Shimadzu eagerly and quickly
absorbed knowledge about new technologies. Soon he was using his
mechanical abilities to repair and maintain foreign equipment,
while learning everything he could about the devices he worked
on. Next he began to manufacture such equipment—distillation
devices, evacuation apparatus, Atwood’s machines, and even
medical equipment—supplying them to Japanese schools. As his
business grew, so did his reputation. In time he was invited to
teach in the metal-working department of the Kyoto Prefecture
Normal School. His untimely death in 18