<研究報告>わが国初期の電信機の絵巻について

概要

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This year (1978), an old pictorial scroll (26×514cm) about a telegraph was discovered. As there is the signature of "文久二年(註1862)四月壬戍佐古尚欽写之" in this pictorical scroll, it is clear that it was written in 1862. In this pictorical scroll, the schematic circuit diagram and parts of telegraph are described in Japanese (partly the pronounciation of Dutch nomenclature is directly represented in Japanese letters). By our research for this pictorial scroll, We have got the following results, 1) In the telegraph described in the pictorial scroll the Morse recording apparatus is used, 2) The paper tape of that Morse instrument is moved by the weights, 3) In the telegraph, Daniell's cells and a galvanometer for measurement of the battery power are used, 4) The telegraph line circuit is single-current simplex by open-circuit system. From these results and references to other documents, we can guess that the telegraph described in the pictorial scroll is the telegraph which Dutch King, Willem III presented to Edo-government in 1854,and the next year Mr. Rintaro Katsu demonstrated in the presence of Shogun Iesada. Nowadays the telegraph is lost, and the details about it have been unknown till now.
国立科学博物館の論文