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もどる
Abstract: The elaborate wooden locomotive and the steam engine models have been preserved at Kyoto University. These models are presumed to be from the Meiji Era, as is the founding of Kyoto University, but no date is available concerning their origin. Therefore, in this study, we tried to guess by appraising the kinds of trees used in making the models, where they originated. It was made clear that the models were made from Chamaecyparis obtusa Endlicher. It is a known fact that this tree was not distributed in Europe during the Meiji Era. This proves that the models were not imported from Europe with the original steam locomotive and engine, but were manufactured in Japan. During the incubating modern techniques, Japanese technical experts and wood craftsmen faithfully recreated the originals using wood in order to study all modern techniques. Key words: Steam Locomotive, Steam Engine, Wooden Models, Wood Craftsmen, Chamaecyparis obtusa Endlicher, Meiji Era, Identification of Wooden Remains |