Kameya Masashige

A confectionery shop run by the family of Founder Katsutaro Inabata, which was an official purveyor to the Imperial Household. When Katsutaro was just two years old, the shop was destroyed in the Kinmon Incident, plunging the family into severe hardship. By the time of Episode 1, set in the second year of the Meiji era (1869), seven-year-old Katsutaro was helping his family restart the wagashi shop, selling sweets door-to-door.
[Reference] Digital Gallery | IK Tales | Inabata & Co., Ltd. (inabata.co.jp) (in Japanese only)

The Kinmon Incident (Hamaguri Gate Rebellion)

This refers to the battle between the Choshu Domain against the Aizu and Satsuma Domains at Hamaguri Gate in Kyoto during the first year of the Genji era (1864). Although the battle ended in just one day with the defeat of the Choshu forces, the resulting fires continued for three days, causing extensive damage. Most of central Kyoto (stretching east to west from the Kamogawa River to Horikawa River, and north to south from Ichijo to Shichijo) was burned down. (Cited from the "Kinmon Incident" in the Encyclopedia of Japanese History.)

Ishigame (Japanese Pond Turtle)

A turtle species native to Japan, primarily distributed across Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. Juveniles have a shape that resembles a zeni (coin or money), which is why they are also called zenigame.
Note: Katsutaro’s interactions with the turtle in this story are fictional.

Elementary School

In the second year of the Meiji era (1869), Japan's first 64 district-based elementary schools were established in Kyoto, driven by the belief of its residents that "building a town starts with building people." This occurred before the national school system was introduced in the fifth year of Meiji (1872) under the Education System Order. These schools were created not only by the government but also with contributions from the local townspeople. Since they were based on the units of neighborhood groupings called bangumi, which were the administrative divisions of the towns, these district schools were known as "bangumi elementary schools." Katsutaro enrolled in the Shimogyo 25th bangumi elementary school, which later became Awata Elementary School.
[Reference] Museum Overview | Kyoto City School History Museum (kyo-gakurehaku.jp), "Why Did Japan's First Elementary School Start in Kyoto?" - Q Kyoto Study Trip (Kyoto.travel)

The Origins of Kameya Masashige and Inabata Senryoten (dye shop)

After barely escaping with their lives from the Kinmon Incident in Genji Year 1 (1864), which destroyed their store at Karasuma Oike in Kyoto, the Inabata family set up a new shop at Higashiyama Sanjo and resumed business. Katsutaro grew up in this shop, got married, and when Inabata Senryoten opened in October of Meiji Year 23 (1890), it all started from there. Later that same year, the shop relocated to a new location in Nishijin, which became the first independent store of Inabata Senryoten.

Elementary School Life

After enrolling in elementary school, Katsutaro devoted himself to helping his family and his studies, achieving excellent grades. In Meiji Year 5 (1872), at the age of 10, Katsutaro read aloud from “Nihon Gaishi” in front of Emperor Meiji during his visit to Kyoto and was rewarded with a compass set. The box containing this compass set is on display in the Founder's Archives. (“Inabata 100-Year History”, page 30) Note: Nihon Gaishi is a historical text written by Rai San'yo, a prominent historian of the late Edo period. It consists of 22 volumes.

Kyoto Prefectural Normal School

The school was established in Meiji Year 9 (1876) with the aim of training elementary school teachers, and it later became the foundation for Kyoto University of Education. At the time, 14-year-old Katsutaro was selected as one of 67 top students from Kyoto's elementary schools due to his excellent performance, and he joined the school as part of the first group of students. (“Inabata Katsutaro Kunden (Biography of Katsutaro Inabata)”, p. 58)
[Reference (In Japanese only)] https://www.mext.go.jp/component/a_menu/education/detail/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2013/12/18/1342091_5.pdf

“To have friends come from afar, is a pleasure, is it not the mark of a true gentleman to remain untroubled when others do not recognize one's worth?”

Passage from the first chapter of the first volume of The Analects, Confucius's work spanning 10 volumes and 20 chapters. In this passage, Confucius speaks about the joy of learning, the importance of friends, and a noble mindset.

Dormitory Dean

The person responsible for guiding and supervising the daily lives of students living together in a dormitory. When Katsutaro enrolled in the Normal School, he left his family and moved into the school's dormitory.

Léon Dury

Bunsei Year 5 (1822) – Meiji Year 24 (1891)
In Bunkyu Year 2 (1862), Léon Dury was invited to Japan by Léon Roches, the French Minister to Japan, to serve as a physician for the Edo Shogunate's plan to construct a hospital in Ezochi (Hokkaido). However, the plan was canceled, and the following year, he was appointed as a consul at the French Consulate in Nagasaki. In Meiji Year 4 (1871), the Kyoto Prefectural Government hired Dury as a teacher at a French school.
Following Dury's advice, the Kyoto Prefecture decided to send students to study in France. In Meiji Year 10 (1877), Dury was entrusted with leading eight students, including Katsutaro, to France, overseeing their supervision and protection, and selecting their areas of specialization.

Eight Exchange Students

In April of Meiji Year 10 (1877), Tokutaro Kondo, Jiusaburo Utahara, Naojiro Imanishi, and Masunosuke Yokota who had previously attended the Kyoto French School where Dury taught were selected as exchange students. In June of the same year, Katsutaro Inabata, Yonesaburo Nakanishi, Shigekazu Yokota from the Normal School, along with Tomotaro Sato from the middle school, were also selected. Altogether, the eight were chosen to represent Kyoto Prefecture and study in France. There, they pursued their respective fields of specialization.

• Tokutaro Kondo: Textiles
• Jiusaburo Utahara: Mining
• Naojiro Imanishi: Papermaking, thread twisting
• Masunosuke Yokota: Hemp fiber production
• Katsutaro Inabata: Dyeing
• Yonesaburo Nakanishi: Machinery
• Shigekazu Yokota: Arts
• Tomotaro Sato: Pottery

The Two Yokotas

Out of the eight exchange students, Katsutaro's connections with the two Yokotas would deeply influence his later life.

Shigekazu Yokota：
Shigekazu, who was Katsutaro's classmate and close friend at the Normal School, also studied with him in France. While in France, Shigekazu was baptized into Christianity, but tragically, he passed away there due to illness. To honor his friend, Katsutaro also received a Christian baptism and conducted a memorial for him.

Masunosuke Yokota：
Masunosuke was the elder brother of Einosuke Yokota, to whom Katsutaro would later transfer his rights to screen films. Katsutaro obtained the rights to screen films with the cinematograph from the Lumière brothers during his time in France. However, due to various reasons, Katsutaro decided to discontinue the business and, after consulting with his fellow exchange student Masunosuke Yokota, transferred the screening rights to Masunosuke's younger brother, Einosuke. Einosuke went on to continue the film business under Yokota Shokai and, in collaboration with Yoshizawa Shoten and two other companies, eventually established Nippon Katsudo Shashin Corp. (Nikkatsu).

Voyage to France

Katsutaro and his group traveled from Kyoto to Yokohama via Kobe. On November 20, Meiji Year 10 (1877), they set sail for France. After departing, they made stops in Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City, Sri Lanka, and then passed through the recently opened Suez Canal before arriving in Marseille, France, on January 2, Meiji Year 11 (1878). It was a long journey spanning 44 days and approximately 16,000 km.

Language School (San-Charles Cram School)

The language school that Katsutaro attended was a primary school called San-Charles Cram School, located in Marseille, France. The school had 30 teachers and 700 students, offering not only French language classes but also subjects like history. Katsutaro and the others attended this school for a year to study the language, thoroughly learning French grammar, conversation, and general education.

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas père

An adventure novel serialized in a French daily newspaper in Meiji Year 17 (1884). The story follows D'Artagnan, a young man from the French countryside who moves to Paris with dreams of becoming a musketeer, overcoming numerous challenges alongside his companions. The famous motto from this novel, "One for all, and all for one," has also become the catchphrase of the Japan Rugby Football Union and is widely known as a symbol of the spirit of rugby.

Martinière Technical School

An industrial school established in Lyon, France, in Bunkyu Year 2 (1862) to provide foundational science education to boys aged 12 to 13. The school produced many scientists who were active in Lyon from Kaei Year 3 (1850) to Ansei Year 7 (1860) and was known worldwide as a pioneering scientific educational institution. Katsutaro studied applied chemistry there. He was also a classmate of Auguste Lumière, the elder of the Lumière brothers who would later invent the Cinematograph.

The Lumière brothers

French inventors who, in Meiji Year 28 (1895), invented the Cinematograph, a device that served as both a projector and a camera, and presented the world's first film. Known alongside Edison as the "Fathers of Cinema," the Lumière brothers consisted of the elder Auguste, born in Bunkyu Year 2 (1862), and the younger Louis, born in Genji Year 1 (1864). Auguste met Katsutaro while attending Martinière technical school and this encounter eventually led to the first cinema show in Japan.

Japan's First Cinema Show

Japan's first cinema show was held in Meiji Year 30 (1897) by Katsutaro at the Nanchi Enbujo Theater in Osaka (currently Namba Marui). Katsutaro reunited with Auguste Lumière, the inventor of the Cinematograph (a projector and camera), in France. Auguste, who was once Katsutaro's classmate, had developed the Cinematograph with his brother Louis in Meiji 28 (1895). Katsutaro obtained the rights from Auguste to represent the Cinematograph in Japan and brought it back with him. After conducting test screenings on the grounds of the Kyoto Electric Light Co., Ltd. headquarters (currently The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.), Katsutaro held Japan's first paid cinema show at Nanchi Enbujo.

Marnas dyeing factory

A dye factory operated by Jean Marnas, one of the leading industrialists in Lyon. Founded in the first year of Tenpo 1 (1831), the company had a long tradition, and by Meiji Year 12 (1879), when Katsutaro joined, it had built a new factory along the Rhône River and employed over 1,500 workers, making it a large-scale enterprise. After acquiring foundational knowledge at techinical school Katsutaro worked at the Marnas dyeing factory to learn practical dyeing techniques. The labor at the factory was grueling, often exceeding 11 hours a day.

Aniline Dyeing

Dyeing using aniline dyes, which were among the earliest synthetic dyes. At the time, synthetic dyes in general were often referred to as aniline dyes, as this was during the early stages of their development.

Dyeing Process

Silk threads were dyed after washing off the surface proteins with soapy water. The dyed threads were then washed in the river to remove excess dye and starch a practice that is no longer done today due to environmental concerns. Katsutaro was assigned the task of washing the dyed silk threads in the freezing Rhône River during winter. In summer, he carried the boiling hot raw silk from the boiling vats in the basement level to the sulfur room on the fourth floor, where it was left to dry.

Katsutaro and Frisé

Katsutaro, angered by the discrimination he faced from Frisé, a worker at the Marnas dyeing factory ended up in a physical fight, which resulted in Frisé getting injured. Upon learning that Frisé was hospitalized, Katsutaro not only visited him numerous times but also regularly sent his monthly salary to Frisé. When he discovered that Frisé could no longer continue his work as a factory worker due to the injury, Katsutaro became a guarantor to buy a carriage and helped Frisé start a career as a coachman, thereby supporting his livelihood. This episode is also recorded in the book “Inabata Katsutaro Kunden ( Biography of Katsutaro Inabata)” and is said to be a true story.

World's Fair

In Meiji Year 16 (1883), the International Colonial and Export Trade Exhibition was held in Amsterdam, Netherlands. This was the first World's Fair aimed at showcasing the wealth and trade of colonial territories. Twenty-eight countries, including Japan, participated, displaying items such as telephones, industrial machinery, and live animals. The exhibition drew at least one million visitors. Katsutaro attended this exhibition as the Assistant Representative of Exhibitors from Kyoto Prefecture, along with Saizo Takagi, the Chief Representative, and another assistant, Eizaburo Urakami. They traveled to Amsterdam and were involved in the administrative work of the exhibition. During the fair, Katsutaro had an audience with the King of the Netherlands Willem III, the queen, and the Belgian King Leopold II. Although Katsutaro would later have several audiences with foreign heads of state, this was his first experience.

Alexander von Siebold

Born:Kōka Year 3 (1846)- Died:Meiji Year 44 (1911) Alexander von Siebold, the eldest son of Philipp Franz von Siebold, who is well-known for the Siebold Incident, served as an interpreter at the British Legation in Japan during the late Edo period. He was later employed by the Meiji government as a foreign advisor for 40 years. In addition to his role at the Netherlands World’s Fair ongoing at the time, he also accompanied the Japanese delegation as an interpreter to the 1868 Paris World’s Fair, taking part in negotiations in Europe. Furthermore, he served as secretary to Kaoru Inoue, contributing to efforts to revise unequal treaties with various countries.

Katsutaro's Life Following the World's Fair

After completing a three-year practical internship at the Marnas dyeing factory, Katsutaro attended the World’s Fair, after which he toured the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, and other countries, observing dyeing and weaving industries across Europe. He then returned to Lyon and enrolled at the University of Lyon, majoring in applied chemistry. Although his initial seven-year study abroad period had already expired, in March of that year, Léon Dury negotiated with the prefecture of Kyoto, and Katsutaro was granted a special extension until December. Thus, after thoroughly learning the latest dyeing techniques, Katsutaro returned to Japan in 1885 (Meiji Year 18), concluding eight years of study abroad.

A Farewell Gift from Léon Dury

During his time studying abroad, Katsutaro led a disciplined life, abstaining from both alcohol and smoking, and living in a very strict and focused manner. This strict lifestyle was largely influenced by Léon Dury, who closely monitored Katsutaro to prevent any indulgence. When Katsutaro was about to return to Japan, Léon presented him with a farewell gift—a box of the finest French tobacco. Touched by this gesture, Katsutaro enjoyed the tobacco to his heart’s content on his voyage home. Afterward, Katsutaro became an avid smoker, and it seems the catalyst for this habit was the farewell gift from Léon.