Reisaku Masuda 
Biography of Reisaku Masuda
Reisaku Masuda, Matriculation 1876-77
Masuda Reisaku was one of the earliest Japanese students to attend the University, graduating BSc in Engineering Science in 1878.
Masuda was born in Japan, son of Hisanari, a school officer. Educated at the Imperial College of Engineering under Henry Dyer, Masuda was one of the first promising Japanese engineers to be sent by the Ministry of Education to further his education abroad. From 1876 to 1878, Masuda studied at Glasgow under Lord Kelvin, attending classes in Physics, Mathematics, Astronomy, Chemistry and Engineering. He won prizes in his Engineering and Mathematics classes, and was awarded the George Harvey Prize and Walker Prize for written examinations.
Masuda returned to Japan in 1881 and was appointed Second Engineer for the Department of Railway in the Ministry of Public Work in 1882. He went on to work as Chief Engineer at the Nippon Railway Company, where he aided in the construction of a line that ran between Tokyo and Aomori. In 1893, when the railways were nationalised, he became Chief Engineer for the Department for Telegraphy for Railway and three years later became a Director of the Tsuruga line until his retirement in 1908.
Sources
Other Online Resources
- Addison, W.I., (1898), ‘A roll of the graduates of the University of Glasgow from 31st December, 1727 to 31st December, 1897, with short biographical notes’ Glasgow: MacLehose.
- Latham, A.J.H. and Kawakatsu, H., (eds), (2009), ‘Intra-Asian Trade and the World Market’, London: Routledge, p. 60-61.
Archival Materials
- R8/1/6. Matriculation Album (with index), 1876-80.
- R9/1/5. Class Catalogue, 1871-79.
- Sen10/19. University (Prize) Calendar, 1877-78.
Summary
Reisaku Masuda
Born 1857.
GU Degree: BSc, 1878; Science and Engineering,
University Link: Alumnus, Graduate
Occupation categories: engineers, civil
English snippet: One of the earliest Japanese graduates of the University of Glasgow, Chief Engineer at Nippon Railway CompanyRecord last updated: 4th Feb 2013
University Connections
University Roles
- Alumnus
- Graduate [View Reisaku Masuda's record in the list of graduates]
