In Saga Days

At the age of 55, Hisashige Tanaka was invited to the Saga Domain because of his great skill.

At the time, the Saga Domain had the most advanced technology in Japan.
He learned Western technology there and accomplished the transformation from a craftsman into an engineer of modern technology.
In addition, he was later invited to his home domain, Kurume.
It was very unusual at that time to work for two different domains.
In those days, Hisashige encountered the Western technology by himself.
With Kaishu Katsu and Takeaki Enomoto, he learned Western techniques from Dutch instructors at Nagasaki Kaigun Denshu-jo (Nagasaki Naval Training Center).
He went over to Shanghai where Western countries had already entered, and experienced Western technology there.
He also interacted with a British diplomat, Sir Ernest Mason Satow in Nagasaki.
Descriptions of their interaction can be seen in Satow's diary.
Through these experiences, Hisashige Tanaka polished his skills and manufactured the first Japanese-made locomotive model, Japan's first practical-use steamship as well as a telegraph, cannons, guns, and so on.