The Role of the Ministry of Public Works in Meiji Japan in Designing Engineering Education: Reconsidering the Foundation of the Imperial College of Engineering
The Imperial College of Engineering (ICE or Koku-Daigakko) in Tokyo, founded in 1873, was one of the most prominent modern institutions of engineering education in early Meiji Japan. Henry Dyer (1848-1918), the first principal of the college, says that he himself designed its curriculum on the ship from Britain to Japan, and it was accepted by the Meiji government without any modifications in 1873. Relying on his account, previous studies of the college mainly emphasized Dyer's contribution, ignoring the contribution of the government. This paper examines the process of the establishment of the ICE by comparing the plans for the college by the Ministry of Public Works, to which the college belonged, with those of Dyer. On this basis, the author argues that the system of engineering education at the college had been already settled by the Ministry before Dyer arrived in Japan, and that Dyer's contribution was limited to a detailed curriculum. There were critical differences in the intentions of the Ministry and Dyer for engineering education. For example, Dyer intended to give students a complete engineering education in a six-year course, while the Ministry intended to have students study abroad for a period after finishing the course. Although Dyer was proud that the college offered a higher level of engineering education than universities in England and Scotland, leaders at the Ministry were not satisfied with an education in Japan alone, and decided to send students abroad for further studies.
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