| The Iso Cotton Mill was the first modern cotton spinning mill in Japan. It was established in the Iso neighborhood of [[Kagoshima]] in [[1867]], with the help of a group of British engineers brought over in [[1866]]-1867 and housed at the ''[[Iso Ijinkan]]''. | | The Iso Cotton Mill was the first modern cotton spinning mill in Japan. It was established in the Iso neighborhood of [[Kagoshima]] in [[1867]], with the help of a group of British engineers brought over in [[1866]]-1867 and housed at the ''[[Iso Ijinkan]]''. |
− | Construction began in November [[1866]] and was completed the following May. | + | Construction was overseen by E. Home; it began in November [[1866]] and was completed the following May. The engineers' contract ended in [[1868]], and they returned to England. The spinning factory remained in operation, with roughly 200 men and women working 10-hour shifts on roughly 150 machines. They produced white cotton cloth which was sent to [[Osaka]], and striped cloth, which was sold locally in Kagoshima. Matsuoka Masato<!--松岡政人--> managed the business until it was changed into a trading company in [[1871]]. |
− | The engineers' contract ended in [[1868]], and they returned to England. The spinning factory remained in operation, with roughly 200 men and women working 10-hour shifts. They produced white cotton cloth which was sent to [[Osaka]], and striped cloth, which was sold locally in Kagoshima. The factory was formally visited by the [[Meiji Emperor]] in [[1872]], and came under the supervision of the [[Kagoshima prefecture|Kagoshima prefectural government]]. The [[Shimazu clan]] (now, Shimazu Corporation) then took over operations in [[1882]]. Weakened by the gold standard and by the death of [[Shimazu Tadayoshi]], the factory shut down in [[1897]]. Most of its heavy equipment was sent to other factories, in [[Sakai]] and elsewhere, but one remains on display today at the [[Shokoshuseikan|Shôkoshûseikan]].
| + | The factory was formally visited by the [[Meiji Emperor]] in [[1872]], and came under the supervision of the [[Kagoshima prefecture|Kagoshima prefectural government]]. The [[Shimazu clan]] (now, Shimazu Corporation) then took over operations in [[1882]]. Weakened by the gold standard and by the death of [[Shimazu Tadayoshi]], the factory shut down in [[1897]]. Most of its heavy equipment was sent to other factories, in [[Sakai]] and elsewhere, but one remains on display today at the [[Shokoshuseikan|Shôkoshûseikan]]. |