工部大学校創設再考 : 工部省による工学寮構想とその実施

抄録

The Imperial College of Engineering (ICE or Kobu-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 that of the government. This paper examines the process of the establishment of the ICE by comparing the several 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 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.