Myriad year clock

Tanaka Hisashige's Myriad year clock, in the Tokyo National Science Museum.

The clock displays Japanese, equal hour, and calendar information.

The Myriad year clock (万年自鳴鐘, Mannen Jimeishou^?, lit. Ten-Thousand Year Self-ringing Bell), was a universal clock designed by the Japanese inventor Hisashige Tanaka in 1851. It belongs to the category of Japanese clocks called Wadokei. This clock is designated as an Important Cultural Asset by Japanese government.

The clock is driven by a spring. Once it is fully wound, it can work for one year without another winding. It can show the time in 7 ways (such as usual time, the day of the week, month, moon phase, Japanese time, Solar term.) It also rings chimes every hour. It consists of more than 1,000 parts to realize these complex functions, and it is said that Tanaka made all the parts by himself with simple tools such as files and saws. It took more than 3 years for him to finish the assembly.

In 2004, a project funded by the Japanese government tried to make the copy of this clock. More than 100 engineers joined the project and it took more than 6 months with the latest industrial technologies. However, even then it was not possible to make exact copies of some parts, such as the brass metal plate used as its spring, before the presentation at Expo 2005. ^[1]

The original of the clock is displayed at Tokyo National Science Museum, while the copy is at Toshiba Corporation.

The clock, technologically comparable to contemporary Western clocks, was developed through a combination of Japanese knowhow and study of Western sciences ("Rangaku"), during Japan's seclusion period.^{[citation needed]}

The clock is listed in Mechanical Engineering Heritage item No.22 in 2007.^{[citation needed]}

Notes

1. ^ Challenge of the Myriad Year Clock (万年時計の謎に挑む), TV program (in Japanese) broadcast on 23 April 2005, Japan Broadcasting Corp. Retrieved on 2009-02-05.

External links

• National Project to Restore Man-nen Jimeisho

This standards- or measurement-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Clocks Japanese history stubs Standards and measurement stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую Facultés universitaires catholiques de Mons Facultés universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix Look at other dictionaries: Myriad (disambiguation) — A myriad is an unspecified large quantity. In classical Greek, it was a name for the number 10,000. Myriad may also refer to: In business: Myriad 6 in 1, a video game company Myriad Genetics, a pharmaceutical company Myriad Group, a mobile phone… …   Wikipedia Japanese clock — A nihongo|Japanese clock|和時計|wadokei is a mechanical clock that has been made to tell traditional Japanese time. Mechanical clocks were introduced into Japan by Jesuit missionaries or Dutch merchants in the sixteenth century. These clocks were of …   Wikipedia Mechanical Engineering Heritage (Japan) — Myriad year Japanese clock, Heritage No. 22 The Mechanical Engineering Heritage (Japan) (機械遺産, kikaiisan …   Wikipedia Rangaku — A meeting of Japan, China, and the West, Shiba Kōkan, late 18th century …   Wikipedia Tanaka Hisashige — Infobox Person name = Tanaka Hisashige birth date = birth date|1799|9|18 birth place = death date = Death date|1881|11|7 death place = death cause = resting place = nationality = known for = education = occupation = nihongo|Tanaka Hisashige|田中… …   Wikipedia Horloge Millénaire — L Horloge Millénaire Tanaka Hisashige, au Musée national de la Nature et des Sciences de Tokyo …   Wikipédia en Français 10000 (number) — Number number = 10000 prev = 9999 next = 100000 range = 10000 100000 cardinal = 10000 ordinal = th ordinal text = ten thousandth numeral = decamillesimal factorization = 2^4 cdot 5^4 prime = divisor = roman = overline|X unicode = overline|X, ↂ… …   Wikipedia Life Sciences — ▪ 2009 Introduction Zoology       In 2008 several zoological studies provided new insights into how species life history traits (such as the timing of reproduction or the length of life of adult individuals) are derived in part as responses to… …   Universalium literature — /lit euhr euh cheuhr, choor , li treuh /, n. 1. writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history, biography, and essays. 2.… …   Universalium Mathematics and Physical Sciences — ▪ 2003 Introduction Mathematics       Mathematics in 2002 was marked by two discoveries in number theory. The first may have practical implications; the second satisfied a 150 year old curiosity.       Computer scientist Manindra Agrawal of the… …   Universalium 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”