| Edmund Morel | |
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Edmund Morel |
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| Born | 17 November 1840 London, UK |
| Died | 5 November 1871 (aged 30) Yokohama, Japan |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Civil Engineer |
Edmund Morel (17 November 17 1840 – 5 November 1871) was a British civil engineer who was engaged in railway construction in many countries, including New Zealand, Australia, and Japan. He was the first foreign Engineer-in-Chief appointed by the Japanese government, for guiding and supervising railway construction in Japan.[1]
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Morel was born in London on 17 November 1840 (recorded as 1841 on his gravestone).[2] He studied civil engineering at King's College London.
In the 1860s, Morel was active in British North Borneo building a railway system, and was living at Labuan island, when invited to Japan by British envoy Sir Harry Parkes. During his short assignment in Japan, he made significant proposals to the Japanese government regarding engineering administration and education. The government established the Ministry of Public Works in December 1870 on his advice. The new ministry's function was integrating introduction of foreign technologies and their application.[1] Morel designed Japan's first railway, connecting the former Shimbashi Station in Tokyo with Sakuragichō Station in Yokohama. The locomotives and rails were imported from England. Through discussions with Itō Hirobumi and Ōkuma Shigenobu, Morel advised on what industries and technologies were necessary for Japan to build railways on its own in the future, and through discussions, Japan's standard railway gauge of 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) was established. During poor weather, when work on the line was not possible, he took his Japanese engineers and surveyors into his own house for lectures.[3]
Morel suffered from tuberculosis before his arrival in Japan, and as his condition worsened, he resigned his post with the intention going to India, and received a 5,000 yen reward from the Japanese government, a tremendous amount at the time. However, he died in Yokohama on 5 November 1871, shortly before the opening ceremonies for the railway he helped to build. His grave in the "Foreigners' Cemetery" in Yokohama is designated as a "national railway memorial".[1] A bronze bust outside Sakuragichō Station in Yokohama commemorates his work in Japan.[4] His common-law wife, a Japanese national, committed suicide only 12 hours after Morel, and is buried next to him.
Oyatoi gaikokujin - Hired foreigners in Japan