Biography:Sakizō Yai
Sakizō Yai 屋井先蔵 | |
|---|---|
 Sakizō Yai | |
| Born | Nagaoka Domain, Echigo Province, Japan |
| Died | June 1, 1927 (aged 63) |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Inventing dry cell battery |
Sakizō Yai (屋井 先蔵, January 13, 1864 - June 1, 1927) was a Japan businessman and the inventor of a type of dry cell battery.
Life
Sakizō Yai was born on January 13, 1864, at the house of Yai, to a samurai family in the Nagaoka Domain (currently Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture).[1] The Yai family was an upper class samurai family who held a property of more than 300 koku for generations, but at the age of six Sakizō's father died and the house went bankrupt. After this, his mother and his uncle took him over.[2]
In 1885, at the age of 21, Yai invented a continuous electric clock that ran on wet cell batteries. Electric clocks already existed, but they were to wind the power source spring with electricity, and that of Yai was a breakthrough in incorporating a self-made battery and running everything electrically.[2] This continuous electric clock was recognized as the first electric patent in Japan in 1891.[1]
In 1887, Yai was successful in inventing a dry cell electric battery.[1] However, he could not apply for a patent immediately because he could not pay the application fee for the patent,[3] and the patent for the first dry battery in Japan was obtained by the electrician Ichisaburo Takahashi. Carl Gassner patented the dry cell battery in Germany and Helensen patented the dry cell battery in Denmark in 1888.[1]
In 1893, the Tokyo Imperial University's seismograph was exhibited at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, and the pre-stored batteries used in it surprised the visitors.[2]
In 1927, he suffered from gastric cancer and died suddenly of acute pneumonia on June 1 of the same year.[4] He was 63 years old.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "電池の歴史１ 屋井乾電池 | 一般社団法人 電池工業会". https://www.baj.or.jp/battery/history/history01.html.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Takeda, Tomohiro (2015). 大日本帝国の発明. Japan: Saizusha. Page of 乾電池の発明.
- ↑ "三菱電機FA 第1回 先人に学ぶ 屋井先蔵 電気の時代を先取りし「乾電池王」と呼ばれた発明家 文化・教養 FA 羅針盤" (in ja). https://www.mitsubishielectric.co.jp/fa/compass/lectures/pioneers07/report.html.
- ↑ "死亡広告". Asahi Shimbun (Morning edition): p. 10. 1927-06-02.
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