Outline of Ichisuke Fujioka's Life

Ichisuke Fujioka was born in present-day Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi in 1857.

In 1875, he entered The Imperial College of Engineering.
In 1878, when he was 21, he was engaged in the lighting of the first Japanese-made lamp, "arc lamp (carbon arc lamp)" under the guidance of Professor William Edward Arton.
Professor Arton's teachings, such as "always tackle difficult problems" and "do not imitate other people, but make better things than them," greatly influenced the later life of Ichisuke.
Then, he was appointed as a member of the national delegation and went to the United States.
After his return, he founded Hakunetsu-sha with his countryman, Shoichi Miyoshi in 1890, and they manufactured the first Japanese-made light bulb.
In addition, Ichisuke Fujioka launched many kinds of businesses and also founded many companies.
He also designed Japan's first elevator.
Those achievements gave him the nickname "Father of Electricity."