Meiji Modernizers: The Chōshū Five

The Chōshū Five. For their achievements, each is known popularly as the “father” of different innovations in Japan. Endō Kinsuke (back left) is the “father of the mint,” Inoue Kaoru (front left) is the “father of diplomacy,” Inoue Masaru (center) is the “father of railways,” Itō Hirobumi (back right) is the “father of the cabinet,” and Yamao Yōzō (front right) is the “father of engineering.” (Courtesy of the Hagi Museum)

Inoue Kaoru (left) and Itō Hirobumi. (Courtesy of the National Diet Library)

The front of the ministry of industry building. (Courtesy of the Postal Museum Japan)

“Shiodome yori Yokohama made tetsudō kaigyō o-norizome shonin hairei no zu” (Crowds Gather to Admire the First Passengers on the First Rail Service from Shiodome to Yokohama). This woodblock print commemorates the first train journey between Shinbashi, Tokyo, and Yokohama in 1872. (Courtesy of the Museum of Logistics)

Inoue Masaru. (Courtesy of the National Diet Library)