Tanabe Sakuro

Tanabe Sakuro (田辺 朔郎; December 2, 1861 – September 5, 1944) was a Japanese civil engineer and early pioneer in the development of hydro electric power. Tanabe’s most famous achievement was the Lake Biwa Canal that runs from Lake Biwa to Kyoto city. For his work as Chief Engineer directing the project and paper entitled “The Lake Biwa - Kyoto Canal” published in 1894, Tanabe was awarded a Telford Medal by the British Institution of Civil Engineers. The canal passes through a series of tunnels and was the site of Japan's first Hydro-electric power station. Tanabe worked for many years as a Director for the Hokkaidō Kansetsu Railway. In 1916 Tanabe was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Kyoto Imperial University.