INTRODUCTION

IN 1886, THE Kōbu-dai-gakkō (Imperial College of Engineering, ICE) became part of the newly established Imperial University. ICE began as Kōgaku-ryō (as already described in Chapter 5 of this volume). It was established under the Ministry of Public Works in 1871 and accepted its first students in 1873. It changed its name to Kōbu-dai-gakkō in January 1877 following the reform of the government system. In December 1885, together with the abolition of the Ministry of Public Works, the operation of ICE was transferred to the Ministry of Education. Then, as part of the Imperial University Ordinance in March 1886, ICE was merged with the Faculty of Engineering and Design (Kōgei-gakubu) at the University of Tōkyō, and was transformed into the College of Engineering (Kōka Daigaku) of the Imperial University.

By investigating the developments surrounding the closure in more detail, this chapter reconsiders the significance of ICE in technical education in Japan.

ICE lies at a prehistoric crossroads of the Imperial University. As the starting point for the introduction of engineering into Japan, the college was critical in the history of higher education and technology in the country. The fact that ICE has been examined by many researchers underscores its significance. Some studies not only describe the historical facts about the college, but also emphasize that its education has traditionally been seen as sophisticated, and consider the college as having been highly successful.

On the other hand, the college has as yet scarcely been analysed from a critical standpoint, and its historical significance has not been fairly assessed. This chapter revises the conventional view of the college by discussing the Ministry of Public Works’ role in its foundation and the educational situation, which greatly differs depending on the ‘branches’ involved. This chapter re-evaluates the meaning of the college's closure by scrutinizing its original purpose and achievements.

Many researchers have covered ICE's closure and its transition to the College of Engineering at the Imperial University. Regarding the establishment of the Imperial University, some scholars have taken a positive view of the founding of the College of Engineering from the beginning of a university. Since Tachi Akira's paper in 1976, the negative view that it represented the end of ICE's original education has become a popular view in the history of higher education.