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| Director: |
Thank you
for showing me around the "Expo Edo -- Science and technology
of Edo era" -- now being held at the National Science Museum.
I enjoyed it. I found the works of Mr. Hisashige Tanaka, Toshiba's
founder, especially interesting. |
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| Mr. Suzuki: |
 One of his most famous works is his bow-and-arrow boy. The doll has 12 mechanical parts. Six are used for the head and the neck; they give the doll's movements and expression a lifelike quality. In passing, the doll was designed to miss the target from time to time. This fact indicates the popularity of this kind of technology among the masses. In the Edo period, these technologies weren't just restricted to certain elite classes; they were available to commoners, too. If the doll had been intended for the elite alone, the technology to make the doll miss the target intentionally wouldn't have been necessary. |
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| Director: |
I see. I hear that the feudal clans during the Edo period vied with each other in honing their arts and crafts skills. The curiosity and needs of the common people helped to make these skills ever more sophisticated. |
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| Mr. Suzuki: |
Of this period, Hisashige was perhaps one
of the most important craftsmen or scientists. Hisashige made works
intended solely for feudal lords, the social elite -- for example,
the ten-thousand year clock. But Hisashige also made works intended
for both the upper and lower classes -- that is, the common people.
This led to the technologies seen (for example) in the bow and arrow
boy. He always tried to make something useful for the general public,
a principle that led eventually to the business that became Toshiba.
What he wanted to do above all else was to apply his knowledge and
skills to contribute to society. |
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| Director: |
You mean that Hisashige tried to develop technologies that would be useful for everyone? |
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| Mr. Suzuki: |
Yes, I think so. Technology isn't just
for the elite; it should be available to the public, too. Hisashige
targeted technology that would be used in the homes of commoners,
sort of a popularized civil engineering. This recalls the principles
Toshiba maintained from its very beginning: "Develop technology
that anyone can use anywhere", "provide good technology
for all". |
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| Director: |
I agree. |
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| Mr. Suzuki: |
In western nations around the time of the Edo period, most technologies were developed for the upper class. So the products of such technologies were too difficult to use or too expensive for the common people. Hisashige made his works for all social strata. These devices had to meet the needs of both classes, and this outlook helped refine technologies in various ways. This technological outlook and goal created the foundation of current Japanese technology. What interested Hisashige was what interested greater society. The achievements of those days are now Japan's strengths. |
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| Director: |
Many technologies that appealed to the common people developed with dramatic speed in the Edo period. That was the basis of Japanese manufacturing. |
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| Mr. Suzuki: |
Right. The camera, the steam locomotive, the automobile, the herbalism and medicines you see at the Expo are examples. Japan and its people helped establish those technologies and maintain high standards ever since the Edo period.
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| Director: |
The common people of those days certainly embodied remarkable potential. |
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| Mr. Suzuki: |
Well, the same holds true today. In Japan, many major manufacturers, like electronics and automobile makers, are able to coexist. That's quite difficult in many other countries. Behind this structure are the people, who help fill the gaps between various technologies. In other words, there are 120 million people who hone the technologies of different manufacturers. Good examples include cell phones and video games. If everyone from small children to grownups can use a product without reading the user's guide, then the product will become a global standard. |
| Director: |
You mean that everyone helps refine technologies. |
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| Mr. Suzuki: |
As long as the country has people like that, it's in no danger of collapsing. But Japan isn't good at certain things that require special knowledge, such as rockets and artificial satellites. One reason is these fields of technologies require patrons, support that's rare. In Japan, technology thrives if it's something everyone understands. But technology won't thrive and grow if it's a very advanced technology appreciated by a select group. Things were different before. Craftsmen or scientists maintained good relationships with their patrons. We should restore this relationship. We should also try to make such technologies more familiar to people. These are the challenges we should strive to meet.
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