Rudolf Lehmann (engineer)

Rudolf Lehmann (born October 15, 1842 in Oldenburg ; † February 4, 1914 in Tokyo ) was a German engineer , lecturer in foreign languages ​​and a pioneer in Japan .

Life and professional development

Rudolf Lehmann was the fourth son of the Upper Council of Justice Adolph Lehmann (reinforced. July 1889) and his wife Louise (née von Muck, reinforced in October 1894). At that time, the Lehmann family lived in their own house in Oldenburg Peterstraße (today No. 39). He grew up in good financial circumstances. In the parental home, the children were given musical activity. Rudolf played the violin. In Oldenburg he first attended the Herbart grammar school and then switched to the higher middle school, since his disposition was primarily practical. According to the testimonies and statements of his parents, he was a diligent student. He finished the community school at Easter 1860 with the leaving certificate of the 1st (top) class. After graduating from school, he gained his first practical experience in a shipyard in Rotterdam , which was managed by his brother Carl Lehmann (1831–1874). Above all, the aim was for him to deal with practical questions of shipbuilding. A year later he moved to Fijnaart, west of Breda , and worked here in a machine factory. From 1862 to 1866 Rudolf Lehmann studied mechanical engineering at the Karlsruhe Polytechnic , where he joined the Teutonia fraternity . After completing his studies, he worked as a technician at Dudre v. Heil in Amsterdam . Because his brother Carl had given a Hamburg shipyard an order from Japan to build 3 steel ships, Rudolf supervised the construction and the preparation of the transport of the ships from 1867 onwards.

Teaching and supporting regional development in Japan

From Hamburg to Nagasaki in 1868 he accompanied the transport of the dismantled ships across the USA and arrived in Japan after about 7 months of voyage. His brother Carl Lehmann (engineer) had meanwhile made all the preparations at the Kawaguduk shipyard near Osaka so that the three iron coastal steamers could be assembled and put into service. It was christened "Adler" and "Berlin". After the Japanese operating personnel had been instructed by the Lehmann brothers, the ships ran between Kyoto and Osaka. Together with his brother Carl, they now supported the regional administration of Kyōto after the emperor's move to Edo , later Tokyo , in the economic development of the region. In the newly founded "School for Western Studies" (Yogabu-sho) in Kyoto, Robert Lehmann received in 1870, through the mediation of the samurai Yamamoto Kakuma (1828-1892), a position as a teacher for 3 years with a monthly salary of 250 yen. His subjects were mathematics and foreign languages. To improve language teaching, he worked with his students on the first German-Japanese dictionary, which appeared in 1871 using the wood printing process. The first edition of this dictionary is still kept in the library in Kyoto today. A year later he expanded this dictionary “Wa-yaku doitsu jisho” to two volumes. Due to his achievements, he received a permanent position at the prefecture of Kyoto.

From 1871 he lived in Osaka with 15-year-old Ben Kida "Tatsu" in a common household. Their first child, a daughter named Toni Koto Luise, was born on August 4, 1872. And between 1886 and 1902 they had five sons. According to Japanese law, both married on July 19, 1907 in Tokyo, making their coexistence as a family official. In order to ensure a German upbringing, the children temporarily lived with their grandparents in Oldenburg. During a business trip to Germany in 1887, the eldest daughter was baptized in Heidelberg.

Since the school soon became too small for its intended tasks, it moved in 1873, now under the name "German School" (Doitsu Gakko), to a house north of the Nijō Palace. From this point on, Rudolf Lehmann's subjects were natural sciences, history and geography. In 1873 a third edition of the Japanese-German dictionary appeared. It was important for the Kyoto region to pass on education and cultural knowledge from abroad. That is why the governor of the region Mahimura Masanao (1834–1896) devoted such a high political priority to questions of education for all generations. As a result of this attention, she had developed the Kyoto region economically well and the educational offerings were an important figurehead beyond the borders of the governorate. The brother Carl Lehmann fell ill with tuberculosis in 1873 and died in April of the following year. Rudolf Lehmann tried to take over the legacy of his brother, who was mainly active as an advisor to the governor on economic issues.

In a relatively short time he was able to take on this role. With his support, work began in 1875 to build a paper mill on the banks of the Katsura River. His idea was to introduce a new technology that could be used to make paper based on local raw materials such as plucked cotton and straw. The factory went into operation in 1876. Furthermore, he supported the construction of a cattle farm with advice and action to better supply the population with meat. Rudolf Lehmann's proposal provided for the purchase of cattle and sheep from the USA and the gradual adaptation of these animals to the Japanese climate. The agricultural engineer selected to operate the plant was trained and deployed based on Lehmann's experience. He also helped set up a tannery, also on the banks of the Katsura River. Rudolf Lehrmann took care of the Gerbe technology's know-how and accompanied the installation of the technology. Further production facilities and factories based on Western technologies followed in the region.

In addition to his teaching activities, Rudolf Lehmann contributed his experience and assistance in the preparation and design of reading and grammar books. When in 1877 the need for further dictionaries became loud, he organized and accompanied the publication of the first Japanese-German dictionary based on the Japanese alphabet (i-ro-ha). In the same year, on the occasion of the inauguration of the first railway line from Kobe to Kyoto , the Miji-Tenno stayed in the region. A visit to the German School was also on the agenda for February 2, 1877. On the occasion of this event, Rudolf Lehmann gave the speech in German and the translation was done by the Japanese Ojiwara Sanke. Due to financial difficulties within the regional administration, his employment contract could not be renewed again in 1881. In order to still be able to enjoy the lessons, some of his students founded the "Lehmann Association" which had set itself the goal of continuing the teaching work. In 1884 they founded a private German school for Kyoto, which later became the "Kyoto Pharmaceutical University".

New sphere of activity and task in Tokyo

From 1882 Rudolf Lehmann was employed as a German teacher at the school for foreign languages ​​in Tokyo . The collaboration with the Tokyo University and direct work with students developed for him more and more. In September 1884 he took over the German language training for the preparatory classes for university admission. The high and middle schools in Japan later developed out of this. In addition, he taught at the school of the "Association for German Sciences" (DGK). But in 1887 he wanted to try to realign himself professionally. That is why he traveled to Germany for several weeks in order to create a certain distance from his previous activities. And there was another, a family occasion. His parents celebrated their golden wedding in Oldenburg. But the reorientation came faster than expected. Rudolf Lehmann began to work in the branch of the German trading company M.Raspe & Co., headquartered in Hamburg, as head of the mechanical engineering department. The company had specialized in the export of machines and his travels lead him again to Japan. Here he is involved in the planning and construction of the "Episu-Beer" brewery in Mita. In this way he gradually develops into an adviser and supporter of other Germans, but also for foreigners from other countries, when opening up the Japanese market. In September of the same year he is for his work by the Japanese emperor with the award of Ritterkreuz- the rising sun Merit Sir.

Rudolf Lehmann had been a member of the German Society for Nature and Ethnology of East Asia (OAG) based in Tokyo since 1880 . In 1882 he was appointed to the board of directors and a year later appointed treasurer of the company. Because of the upcoming tasks and the overload of the elected board, he took over the day-to-day business in 1893. And then in 1907 he was elected first chairman of the OAG. Now the planning of the scientific conference program, the content orientation and the award of contracts for publications, essays and short messages also belonged to his tasks. In this position, Rudolf Lehmann had made a major contribution to the technical and agricultural modernization of Japan over the years. He enjoyed a high reputation and appreciation on both the German and Japanese sides through his achievements and commitment. A special tribute was given here on October 16, 1912 at the ceremony on the occasion of his 70th birthday.

Another honorary position accompanied Rudolf Lehmann as a member of the German Protestant community in Tokyo. Appointed to the board in 1885, he was a good and reliable support for the missionary Heinrich Wilfried Spinner (1854–1918) , who came from Switzerland . When the construction of a separate church for the congregation came to a standstill, he himself lent a hand in the planning and the necessary decisions that had to be made in the crucial years from 1887 to 1890. He gave important impulses for the necessary planning changes and on January 27, 1897 the inauguration could take place after so long patience. For his services to the Protestant community in Tokyo he was awarded the Order of the White Falcon by the Grand Duke of Saxony, Weimar and Eisenach in 1897 .

A painful loss for him was the death of his eldest son Adolf in 1911. On this occasion, he bought a grave site in the Zōshigaya cemetery to give him his final resting place. On January 14, 1914, Rudolf Lehmann fell ill with a typhoid fever. After a short illness, he died on February 4th in Tokyo. He was buried in the Zōshigaya cemetery. A former student, Prof. Kotara Yamaguchi, spoke at the grave and took with the words "we don't know any other (teacher) who has enjoyed such great affection and respect from his students as you."

Aftermath

In 2005, in order to preserve the memory of Rudolf Lehmann, his grave in the Zōshigaya cemetery was extensively restored. The client was the " Kyoto Pharmaceutical University ".

literature

• H. Christern: German Biographical Yearbook . Volume I. Stuttgart, 1925.
• Gerd Hoffmann: Rudolph Lehmann (1842–1914) - a picture of life (PDF; 130 kB). From OAG notes 9/2006.
• Sabine Schicke, Japan's pioneers from Oldenburg in: www.nwzonline.de/oldenburg/japan-pioniere-aus-oldenburg
• Otto Schmiedel, The Germans in Japan, Munich 1920
• The Japanese memory in: http.das-japanische-gedaechtnis.de/Lebensbilder-az/Lehmann-Rudolf-1842-1914-kauffolk-wissenschaftler.html

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Gerd Hoffmann, Rudolf Lehmann (1842–1914) a picture of life in: Archives of the OAG 9/2006
2. ↑ Sabine Schicke, Japan Pioneers from Oldenburg in: www.nwzonline.de/oldenburg/japan-pioniere-aus-oldenburg
3. ↑ H. Christern, German Biographical Yearbook, Volume 1, Stuttgart 1925
4. ↑ Rudolph Lehmann - A picture of life in: http://www.das-japanische-gedaechtnis.de/lebensbilder-az/Lehmann-Carl-1831-1874-lehmann-rudolpf-1842-1914-kauffolk-wissenschaftler.html