Vice admiral Shōzō Arisaka was a Japanese naval engineer and amateur archaeologist.

Shōzō Arisaka
有坂鉊蔵
Born(1868-02-04)February 4, 1868
DiedJanuary 19, 1941(1941-01-19) (aged 72)
Alma materUniversity of Tokyo
OccupationNaval engineer
Employer(s)Imperial Japanese Navy
University of Tokyo
Known forDiscovery of Yayoi pottery
Development of new types of guns

Life

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A replica of the pot excavated by Shōzō Arisaka in 1884. The original artefact is preserved at the University of Tokyo Museum.

Arisaka was born as the second son of Senkichi Arisaka (有坂銓吉), one of 25 samurai responsible for rivers in the Kanto region (四川用水方普請役) under the Tokugawa shogunate.[1] He entered the preparatory division of the University of Tokyo in 1884. Although he aspired to become an engineer, he had a lifelong interest in archaeology. During his studies, he excavated what became known as the first example of Yayoi pottery at the Yayoi 2-chome Site, after which the period was named.[2]

He won a scholarship from the Imperial Navy and matriculated at the University of Tokyo in 1887 to study engineering, graduating in July 1890. Shortly after, he was sent to France, where he interned at Hotchkiss et Cie. Returning to Japan in December 1893, he began working as a naval engineer specialised in cannons and guns. In 1898, he was posted to England for two years as Japan and Britain were strengthening ties, culminating in the Anglo-Japanese Alliance of 1902.[3]

In 1902, he earned a PhD from his alma mater and began a dual role as a naval engineer and a professor at the University of Tokyo, a position he held until 1925. He died on 19 January 1941.[3] His archaeological collection and the first known example of Yayoi pottery, excavated by Arisaka in 1884, are preserved at the University of Tokyo Museum.[4] His son, Hideyo Arisaka, became a linguist specialising in historical Japanese phonology.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "近世の普請と租税負担|NETWORK租税史料|税務大学校|国税庁". www.nta.go.jp. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  2. ^ "INTERMEDIATHEQUE". www.intermediatheque.jp. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  3. ^ a b "有坂鉊藏 (4th Edition) - JINJIKOSHINROKU (who's who) Database". jahis.law.nagoya-u.ac.jp. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  4. ^ "A31 弥生式土器発見者の縄文コレクション". www.um.u-tokyo.ac.jp. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  5. ^ 日本人名大辞典+Plus,百科事典マイペディア,367日誕生日大事典,世界大百科事典内言及, デジタル大辞泉,精選版 日本国語大辞典,日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ),ブリタニカ国際大百科事典 小項目事典,改訂新版 世界大百科事典,20世紀日本人名事典,デジタル版. "有坂秀世(アリサカヒデヨ)とは? 意味や使い方". コトバンク (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-11-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)