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JSME Heritage items
Heritage No. 22 – Myriad year clock
The Mechanical Engineering Heritage (Japan) (機械遺産 , kikaiisan ) is a list of sites, landmarks, machines, and documents that made significant contributions to the development of mechanical engineering in Japan. Items in the list are certified by the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (JSME) (日本機械学会 , Nihon Kikai Gakkai ) .
The Mechanical Engineering Heritage program was inaugurated in June 2007 in connection with the 110th anniversary of the founding of the JSME. The program recognizes machines and their related systems, factories, specification documents, textbooks, and other items that had a significant impact on the development of mechanical engineering in Japan. When a certified item can no longer be maintained by its current owner, the JSME acts to prevent its loss by arranging a transfer to the National Science Museum of Japan or to a local government institution.
Items in the Mechanical Engineering Heritage (Japan) are classified into four categories:
Sites: Historical sites that contain heritage items.
Landmarks: Representative buildings, structures, and machinery.
Collections: Collections of machinery, or individual machines.
Documents: Machinery-related documents of historical significance.
Each item is assigned a Mechanical Engineering Heritage number. No. 100 is a dual entry, composed of both a collection and documents.
Heritage No. 11 – A 0 series railcar in Tokyo in May 1967
Items certified in 2007 [ edit ]
Heritage No. 14 – Honda Cub F rear-side Honda Collection Hall
Heritage No. 18 – Komatsu G40 bulldozer
Heritage No. 28 – Entaro Bus at Bus Festival 2024 hosted by the Bureau of Transportation, Tokyo Metropolitan Government
Items certified in 2008 [ edit ]
Yazu Arithmometer, Heritage No. 30
Items certified in 2009 [ edit ]
Heritage No.35 – Locomobile owned by Baron Ryokichi Kawada, on display at Danshaku Lounge
Heritage No. 38 – Carousel El Dorado in Toshimaen
Items certified in 2010 [ edit ]
Heritage No. 40. – Electric vehicle TAMA
Items certified in 2011 [ edit ]
Heritage No. 44. – Mashū-Maru
Heritage No. 44 – Hakkoda-Maru
No.
Year created
Type
Description
Location
Notes
044
1908
Landmark
Seikan Train Ferry and Moving Rail Bridge
Hokkaidō and Aomori prefecture
Landmark is both Hakkoda-Maru (八甲田丸 ) and the moving rail bridge at Aomori Station , and Mashū-Maru (摩周丸 ) and the moving rail bridge at Hakodate Station
045
1924
Collection
Type ED15 Electric Locomotive
Ibaraki prefecture
In operation until 1960
046
1872
Collection
Silk reeling machines of the Okaya Silk Museum (岡谷蚕糸博物館 )
Nagano prefecture
Machines are: 2 silk reeling machines imported by French engineer Paul Brunat (ポール・ブリューナ ) for Tomioka silk mill and various Japanese-made silk machines
047
1897
Collection
Toyoda Power Loom
Aichi prefecture
Invented by Sakichi Toyoda
048
1965
Collection
Hydraulic excavator UH03
Ibaraki prefecture
Double hydraulic pumps and double valves, previous excavators had a single pump and valve.
049
1953
Collection
Zipper chain machine (YKK-CM6)
Toyama prefecture
Modeled after a machine that was imported from the U.S. in 1950.
050
1962
Collection
Takamisawa Electric's Ticket Vending Machine
Nagano prefecture
The first multi-function train ticket vending machine , contained a printing mechanism and was capable of vending multiple types of tickets.
Items certified in 2012 [ edit ]
Heritage No. 51 – Tokyu 5200 series EMU car 5201 preserved at the J-TREC factory in Yokohama, Japan
Items certified in 2013 [ edit ]
Heritage No. 57 – Left to right : SS-1200, Solar, and VC-A at Toshiba Science Museum, Kawasaki, Japan
Heritage No. 61 – Karakuri puppet, Yumi-Hiki Doji
Items certified in 2014 [ edit ]
Heritage No. 65 – KD604 snow vehicle on display in Showa Station (Antarctica)
No.
Year created
Type
Description
Location
Notes
062
Landmark
Soil and Tractor Museum of Hokkaido
Hokkaido
063
Landmark
Museum of Agricultural Technology Progress
Saitama prefecture
At the Institution of Agricultural Machinery, part of the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization .
064
1928-1971, operated
Landmark
Telpher of the Port of Shimizu
Shizuoka prefecture
065
Collection
Japanese snow vehicles KD604 and KD605
Tokyo (KD604) and Akita prefecture (KD605)
Reached the South Pole in 1968.
066
1913, 1960, 1969
Collection
Japanese wristwatches
Tokyo
Laurel Type 12 (1913)
First-generation Grand Seiko (1960)
Quartz Astron 35SQ (1969)
067
1879
Collection
Double Housing Planing Machine
Aichi prefecture
Made by Akabane Engineering Works, Ministry of Industry
068
1954
Collection
Fuji Automatic Massage Machine
Osaka prefecture
Developed by Nobuo Fujimoto, who created Fuji Seisakusho.[ c]
069
1932, first edition
Document
The Collection of Drawings for Japanese Machines
Tokyo
Created for the purpose of "disseminating correct knowledge of domestic products to general engineers and serving as reference drawings in terms of teaching mechanical engineering."[ 9]
Items certified in 2015 [ edit ]
Heritage No. 70 – Railway bascule Bridge Suehiro Kyoryo
Heritage No. 77 – Matsukawa geothermal power station in Iwate, Japan
Items certified in 2016 [ edit ]
Heritage No. 78 – Subaru 360 K111, on display at Toyota Automobile Museum , Yokomichi, Nagakute, Aichi.
Items certified in 2017 [ edit ]
Heritage No. 84 – Kachidoki bridge over Sumida River , connecting Tsukiji and Tsukishima
Heritage No. 86 – Tokyo Metro 1000 series 1001 at the Tokyo Metro Museum
Items certified in 2018 [ edit ]
No.
Year created
Type
Description
Location
Notes
091
1987
Collection
Historical machine tools collected by Nippon Institute of Technology
Saitama prefecture
232 exhibits are arranged chronologically and by type
092
1959/1962
Collection
Airless spray painting equipment
Aichi prefecture
The airless spray gun was developed in 1959 and the spray pump was improved from a U.S. patent in 1962
093
1968
Collection
Cathode ray tube funnel pressing machine
Siga prefecture
Developed by Nippon Electric Glass Co., Ltd.
094
1934
Collection
A type casting machine on display at the museum of Kumamoto Daily News
Kumamoto prefecture
Produced by Eizo Hayashi, president of Rinyeisha Co. at that time.
Items certified in 2019 [ edit ]
Heritage No. 97 – Roundhouse of the Kyoto Railway Museum, 8 of the 23 displayed locomotives are still functional as well as the inspection equipment that was built in 1915
Heritage No. 99 – a Nikkari monorack
Items certified in 2020 [ edit ]
Heritage No. 101 – Asahiflex I from 1952
No.
Year created
Type
Description
Location
Notes
100
Collection & Documents
Educational equipment for mechanical engineering from the Imperial College of Engineering (工部大学校 , Kōbu Daigakko ) and related documents from Imperial College students and mechanics teacher C.D. West
Tokyo
101
1950s
Collection
5 single-lens reflex cameras from the 1950s at JCII Camera Museum
Tokyo
102
1928
Collection
Jiyuzo Nara (自由造 奈良 , Jiyuzo Nara ) high-speed impact mill
Tokyo
103
1921
Collection
Electric arc spray gun from the early era of thermal spraying .
Siga prefecture
Introduced and patented by Kenjiro Ezawa
104
1952
Collection
A ring cone (RC) continuously variable transmission (CVT)
Kyoto
Heritage No. 111 – The German-made Uhlhorn Münzprägemaschine
Items certified in 2021 [ edit ]
Heritage No. 113 – Conveyor belt sushi at Mashiro Sushi
No.
Year created
Type
Description
Location
Notes
105
1957
Collection
Electric milking machine DK-5 II
Nagano prefecture
Developed by Kyoei Seiki Co.
106
1930
Collection
Spur gear grinding machine Type ASG-2
Saitama prefecture
Designed by Kakusaburo Okamoto (ja :岡本 覚三郎 , Okamoto Kakusaburo ) with Okamoto Machine Tool Works, Ltd. (ja:岡本工作機械製所 ) for the Kure Naval Arsenal
107
1981
Collection
Automatic sushi machine
Saitama prefecture
Developed by Suzumo Machinery Co., LTD. (ja:鈴茂器工株式会社 )
108
1959
Collection
Rolling stock Test Stand for Shinkansen
Tokyo
Created by Hitachi and installed by Japanese National Railways
109
1958
Collection
Pitching machines Catapult type:KS-P and AR
Tokyo (KS-P) and Gifu prefecture (AR)
Designed by Hachio Saito (ja :斉藤八雄 , Saito Hachio ) and manufactured by Kumagai Gumi Co., Ltd. and Chunichi Stadium Co., Ltd.
110
1958
Collection
Electric hand planer Model 1000
Aichi prefecture
111
1871
Collection
The German-made Uhlhorn[ i] and the French-made Thonnelier[ j] coin presses from the founding of the Japan Mint
Osaka prefecture
On display at the Japan Mint Museum
112
1958
Collection
Conveyor belt sushi machine, Origin of the new food culture
Osaka prefecture
Invented by Yoshiaki Shiraishi (ja :白石 義明 , Shiraishi Yoshiaki ) [ 10]
113
1975
Collection
Silent Piler KGK-100A, hydraulic pile press-in and extraction machinery
Kochi prefecture
Developed jointly by Akio Kitamura (ja :北村精男 , Kitamura Akio ) and Yasuo Kakiuchi (ja :垣内保男 , Kakiuchi Yasuo )
Items certified in 2022 [ edit ]
Heritage No. 116 – Gara bo spinning machines in use in 1937
No.
Year created
Type
Description
Location
Notes
114
1953
Collection
Surface grinding machine PSG-6B
Gunma prefecture
Manufactured by Okamoto Machine Tool Works, Ltd. (ja:岡本工作機械製所 )
115
1985
Collection
Timber pre-cut system MPS-1
Aichi prefecture
Created by Miyagawa Koki (ja:宮川工機 )
116
1880s
Collection
Gaun-shiki bousyokuki (ja:臥雲式紡織機 ) or Gara bo , a hand-cranked spinning machine
Osaka prefecture
Invented by Gaun Tatsumune (ja:臥雲辰致 ) and nicknamed Gara Bo because of the sound that the machine makes Gara Gara Bo usyokuki:Gara Gara cotton-spinning machine, (ja:ガラ紡 ) [ 11]
Items certified in 2023 [ edit ]
Heritage No. 118 – Model 3000, Odakyu RomanceCar SE, Odakyu Electric Railway, Japan
No.
Year created
Type
Description
Location
Notes
117
1959
Collection
Goto planetarium Type M-1
Tokyo
118
1957
Collection
Odakyu 3000 series SE
Kanagawa prefecture
On display in the Romancecar Museum
119
1831
Collection
A "pharmaceutical millstone" in Wachusanhompo (now known as Ritto City, Shiga prefecture)
Shiga prefecture
Was used to make wachusan (stomach medicine) during the Edo period
120
17th century to present
Collection
Historical machine tools at the Sankyo Machine Tools Museum
Shizuoka prefecture
137 tools ranging from the 17th century to the modern era
Items certified in 2024 [ edit ]
Heritage No. 126 – Mazak NC Lathe MTC-2500R
Heritage No. 128 – Tōkyū 5000 series, Deha 5001 (pictured) was preserved in front of Shibuya Station, Tokyo, and functioned as a tourist information center, it was relocated to Ōdate, Akita in June 2020[ 12]
Items certified in 2025 [ edit ]
Heritage No. 132 – the Suzulight SS at the Suzuki History Museum
^ Engineering, Civil. "One Hundred Years of Structural Testing - Civil Engineering - The University of Sydney" . www.civil.usyd.edu.au . Archived from the original on 2006-04-18. Retrieved 2025-11-21 . see fig. 3
^ "The History of Japanese Calculators" . www.xnumber.com . Retrieved 2025-11-21 .
^ "としまえんはいつまで?最後の夏休みに乗りたいおすすめベスト5&遊園地王の思い出" . るるぶKids (in Japanese). July 30, 2020. Retrieved 2025-11-21 .
^ "Collections: American Art: Lion, from the El Dorado Carousel, Coney Island, Brooklyn" . Brooklyn Museum . Retrieved 2010-07-26 .
^ The carousel King, Hugo Haase
^ "ウォシュレットG 機械遺産" [Washlet G certified on Mechanical Engineering Heritage (Japan)]. Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). Tokyo. 2012-07-23. p. 34.
^ Rotopark, Bajulaz S.A. Geneva Switzerland Archived 2013-07-29 at the Wayback Machine
^ 大久保, 英敏 (2013). "123 国産化に挑戦した技術者たち(第1報)(os 機械技術史・工学史(i))" . 公開研究会・講演会技術と社会の関連を巡って: 技術史から経営戦略まで: 講演論文集 . 2013 : 45– 46. doi :10.1299/jsmetsd.2013.45 .
^ "Mechanical Engineering Heritage" . www.jsme.or.jp . Retrieved 2025-11-21 .
^ admin (March 11, 2015). "Food on the Move: The History of Conveyor Belt Sushi" . Seattle Fish Co . Retrieved 2025-11-22 .
^ "Mechanical Engineering Heritage" . www.jsme.or.jp . Retrieved 2025-11-22 .
^ "東急旧5000系「青ガエル観光案内所」6月上旬に秋田県大館市へ移設 | マイナビニュース" . news.mynavi.jp (in Japanese). February 10, 2020. Retrieved 2025-11-22 .