An Illustrated Story
Kagoshima’s Roots of Modernization

Shimadzu Shigehide, the 25th generation of Shimadzu, assertively adopted science.
Along with his retainers, he built an astronomical observatory here.

Around the year 1850,
Kagoshima was more advanced than the rest of Japan.

That was due to the 28th generation of the Shimadzu Family, Shimadzu Nariakira, wanting to make Kagoshima strong.
He adopted western culture to push modernization and thought it was necessary to have a wealthy economy.

This forward thinking is said to come from the teachings of his great-grandfather, Shigehide.
Shigehide was able to write roman letters and could speak Dutch proficiently.

He put effort into developing human resources, too, creating a school for education, military, and medicine.

And, at this location, he built a “Tenmonkan” (planetarium) to observe celestial bodies.

The Tenmonkan planetarium no longer exists, but “Tenmonkan” has become the area's name and is known throughout Japan as Kagoshima's main downtown area.

Through Toshishige and Nariakira's foresight and success, they independently created unique technology and culture in Kagoshima.
When Japan later goes through battles with foreign countries and a revolution, this strength is known to the entire country.