21/08/2026
From Colin McVean Houston OSS Taisho
Yozo Yamao – A pioneer who studied in Britain and laid the foundation for modern Japanese engineering and deaf-blind education.
August 18, 2026 00:42
Bridges spanning deep valleys foster human interaction and allow cultures to flow in. Dikes and sluice gates save cities from floods—our lives, throughout history and across cultures, have dramatically improved thanks to infrastructure.
Infrastructure construction is the work of civil engineers. In this series, we will introduce one "civil engineer" at a time who has led infrastructure construction or contributed to its development, thereby shaping the times. This time, we feature Yozo Yamao (1837–1917), who supported Japan's modernization from a technological standpoint. Japan
Society of Civil Engineers, Civil Engineering Library Committee, Civil Engineering Figures .
Yozo Yamao (around 37 years old at the time), Vice Minister (Vice Minister of Industry/equivalent to Vice Minister) in 1874.
Provided with the kind permission of Colin Houston.
My career as an engineer and my studies in the UK
Yozo Yamao of the Choshu Domain was a leading engineer who supported Japan's modernization from a technological standpoint. As a samurai of the domain, Yamao keenly felt the importance of Western technology and decided to secretly travel to England, believing that "we cannot support the country without studying engineering." In 1863, through the arrangements of Thomas Glover, Yamao, along with five other men from the Choshu Domain—Kaoru Inoue, Hirobumi Ito, Kinsuke Endo, and Masaru Inoue—traveled to England. After returning to Japan, they became known as the "Choshu Five" and spearheaded Japan's modernization in various fields such as railways, shipbuilding, and education.
At the University of London, they studied mathematics, physics, and mechanical engineering, acquiring the academic skills that would later become the core of the Ministry of Public Works' technical system. Furthermore, from 1866 to 1868, they moved to Glasgow, Scotland, known as the world's shipbuilding city, where steamship and iron shipbuilding technology was at the forefront. While attending evening classes at Andersonian College (now the University of Strathclyde), he gained firsthand experience at the Goban East Shipyard, run by Robert Napier, learning the core principles of modern shipbuilding, including sheet metal riveting, steam engine installation, and hull structure design.
Encounters with deaf people who wield their skills at shipbuilding sites
During that process, Yamao witnessed deaf people working in shipbuilding. In the 19th century, at the Glasgow shipyard, deaf people worked in different shipyards in riveting-related jobs, such as machine assemblers, craftsmen responsible for preventing leaks in the hull, and pipe makers.
There were engineering reasons for this. Riveting is a arduous job that involves loud hammering noises and requires heavy use of hearing. However, deaf people are less affected by noise and can communicate smoothly through sign language, making them valuable assets on site. Sign language as a work signal is also easy for hearing people to learn, contributing to improved work efficiency. In this environment, Yamao himself learned sign language through interaction with deaf people and was able to communicate to a certain extent. Yamao developed a deep interest not only in shipbuilding technology but also in the lives and personalities of deaf people.
A photograph of the deaf McLennan couple from the shipyard, whom Ms. Yamao is said to have met (circa 1910),
kindly provided by their great-great-granddaughter, Nicola Johnson.
Yamao's achievements after returning to Japan
Upon returning to Japan in 1870, Yamao played a crucial role in the establishment of the Ministry of Industry and dedicated himself to developing Japan's modern engineering education system. In particular, in establishing the Engineering School (later the Imperial College of Engineering), he introduced the practical learning philosophy he had learned in Britain, inviting engineers from Scotland to train Japanese engineers in a wide range of fields, including railways, shipbuilding, bridges, mining, and telegraphs. In the shipbuilding field, he made a significant contribution to laying the foundation for shipbuilding education in Japan, utilizing the structural technology and on-site management knowledge he acquired at the Napier Shipyard.
Furthermore, Yamao's interactions with deaf people in Glasgow and his participation in Christian service activities at the home of Colin Brown, where he was staying, had a profound impact on his values and character. After returning to Japan, he became involved with the "Rakuzenkai," an organization that taught the Bible to the blind, and deepened his interest in supporting people with disabilities, extending beyond his role as an engineer. His experience with the Scottish folk song "Auld Lang Syne," introduced by Brown and others, also demonstrates that his experiences in Britain were a driving force behind his work in deaf and blind education in Japan.
Yozo Yamao was a rare individual who, as an introducer of Western engineering, supported Japan's modernization, while also deepening his sense of ethics as an engineer and his perspective on humanity through his experiences in Britain. The foundation of engineering education he built is the cornerstone supporting the development of civil engineering, mechanical engineering, and shipbuilding technology in Japan today, and its influence continues to this day.
(Mitsue Yabe, Caldwell First Nation Organization, Canada)
(Aiko Yabe, Heriot-Watt University, UK) [References] Choshu Five Production Committee. Choshu Five. Kenmedia Co., Ltd., 2007. (DVD) Hagi Museum. The Father of Japanese Engineering: Yozo Yamao. Mashama Printing Co., Ltd., 2017, 88p. [Brief Chronology] 1837 (Tenpo 😎 Born in Yoshiki District, Suo Province (present-day Akiho Futashima, Yamaguchi City). In 1863 (Bunkyu 3), he was a surveyor on the Choshu Domain ship Ki-no-Maru, and in November of the same year, he arrived in London with five others, including Ito Hirobumi. From 1865 to 1865, he studied basic sciences such as mathematics, chemistry, civil engineering, and mineralogy at University College London (UCL). In November 1868 (Meiji 1), he returned to Japan. In 1875 (Meiji 😎, he established the Rakuzenkai, an organization for the education of the blind. In 1880 (Meiji 13), he became Minister of Public Works. He also served as a member of the Council of State and Vice-President of the Council of State. In 1882 (Meiji 15), he became the 2nd President of the Japan Society of Engineering (for 36 years until Taisho 6). In 1915 (Taisho 4), he became President of the Japan Association for the Deaf. In 1917 (Taisho 6), he died. [Field] Administration, Education.
