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.

[1] 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.

In 1916 Tanabe was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Kyoto Imperial University.

In April 1877 he commenced studies under the direction of Henry Dyer at the Imperial College of Engineering.