Look in your pocket! A candlestick!
This collapsible candlestick was created by Tanaka Hisashige in the mid 1830’s. I studied the piece, its creator, and even recreated it.
Images sourced from Ashley Strachan (owner of the object pictured)
My final 3D printed candlestick
Tanaka Hisashige was one of Japan’s most well-known and influential inventors in the late Edo and early Meiji period. Born in 1799, he was a son of a tortouse shell craftsman. After his father’s death, he was expected to take over his father’s role but instead followed his own path of inventing. He grew up surrounded by tools and crafts, encouraging the growth of his amazing creativity. As a young adult, he made inkstone lock boxes and looms. By the age of twenty, he made a karakuri doll with hydraulics [1]. Karakuri are autonomous puppets that can perform various functions, such as Tanaka’s doll that could shoot arrows. They are often powered by springs, pneumatics, and hydraulics. By his mid-thirties, he moved to Osaka where he experimented more with hydraulics and lighting. This is where he invented the pocket candlestick, a portable candlestick that could fold up to fit into one’s pocket, along with a long-burning lamp that used air pressure to keep the oil burning [2]. Because of its lack of flickering and brighter than average flame, the long-lasting lamp became incredibly popular. Following these inventions, he moved to Kyoto to study mathematics and astronomy. This was where he invented a fire pump that could shoot water very high. A short time later in his early fifties, Tanaka created the Myriad year clock. This incredibly impressive clock can tell the time in seven different ways. With over 1000 parts, over 100 engineers failed to create a replica in 2004. Later in his life, Tanaka was invited to help construct steamboats and telegraph equipment at the request of the new government that grew out of the Meiji Restoration [4]. Before his death in 1881, Tanaka founded the first private electronic machinery company in 1875 known as the Tanaka manufacturing Company [6].
Tanaka Hisashige [5]
The 1830’s Japan’s feudal domains were hit hard by economic hardships. Anything that resembled luxury, like karakuri shows, because distavorous. Tanaka’s lamp and candlestick inventions, however, targeted the growing consumer market. His Kaichu Shokudai pocket candlestick catered to their needs as it could be collapsed down to a 10cm square and tucked into a kimono pocket. It was especially popular among physicians traveling to visit patients. Highlighting Tanaka Hisashige’s eye for quality, it was made of rust-resistant brass [4].
When it was first designed in the mid 1830’s, the Kauchu Shokudai was a very innovative product as it was made of pressed and cut sheet brass [7]. The candlestick is made up of three base pieces that act at the feet. On top of that are two arms with a third similar looking piece with a point to attach the candle. Just below the base of the candle is the drip pan. The legs create a triple hinge as they all revolve around one center pin. As for the connections for the other pieces, rounded and decorative rivets hold the arms tightly together with just enough tolerance to allow for the folding process.
Throughout my research and rework process, I was searching for the answers to many questions. At first, I was very interested in understanding the main targeted audience and user base of the product. It was clear that I may not find an answer more specific than the consumer class and perhaps physicians. Following this, I decided to broaden my search to learn about Tanaka Hisashige’s design and construction processes. He did have the help and hands of his apprentices although he did play a large role in the processes [4]. After his death, apprentice Daikichi Tanaka continued Hisashige’s business.
Initial sketches with dimensions of the feet and arms
Reworking this project enabled me to get a hands-on feel of the candlestick. I was able, to the best of my ability, try to go through a similar process that Hisashige went through. I started out with various sketches of each individual piece. These sketches were to scale and contained measurements that I gathered from looking at various pictures, videos, and descriptions. I cut them out in paper and used tape to form a scale low-fidelity model of the candlestick. Like many craftsmen we’ve learned about in class, making a model out of different materials or sizes allows both the designer and clients to get an idea of what the final masterpiece would look like, along with easy and early troubleshooting. The prototype enabled me to make sure the candlestick would move well and stand on its own. I was unable to find detailed information about Tanaka Hisashige’s design process, but I feel confident saying he must have made many prototypes with non-brass materials to test his ideas in a simple, fast, and low-cost way.
All of the modeled parts (left) and a rendering of the assembled candlestick (right)
The use of models in Edo Era Japan were very valuable in conveying ideas from one to another. It allowed for “diverse forms of knowledge exchange”. Both today and in Hisashige’s Edo era, paper models were great because of their “pliability, cost, and, especially, portability [which] made paper the medium of choice for many kinds of three-dimensional models” [3]. If I were to go straight to the final plastic version, or in Hisashige’s case of brass, I would have wasted time and materials before I got it right. I was able to be confident in the accuracy of the dimensions and shapes before I made the final version. Furthermore, being able to 3D model the candlestick on a computer is a tool that Hisashige did not have. The software I used allows me to create each individual part and then use joints to combine them so I can see how they fit together.
If I were to rework the candlestick again, I would use my original sketches to laser cut each piece out of a brass sheet, similar to the one used for the original candlesticks. This would allow for the rework to look much more like the real version. Furthermore, I would love to get my hands onto one of the real candlesticks so I could truly measure each piece and understand the relationships between them. For this project, I was forced to use the few dimensions that I could find online combines with pictures. Therefore not everything is exactly the shape or size that it should be.
[1] AKIRA, ODAGIRI HIROYUKI GOTO. Technology and Industrial Development in Japan: Building Capabilities by Learning, Innovation ... and Public Policy. OXFORD UNIV Press, 2019.
[2] Francisco, Aya. “Tanaka Hisashige.” Tofugu, Tofugu, 29 July 2013, https://www.tofugu.com/japan/tanaka-hisashige/.
[3] Guth, Christine M. “Modeling, Models, and Knowledge Exchange in Early Modern Japan.” Res: Anthropology and Aesthetics, vol. 71-72, 2019, pp. 253–264., https://doi.org/10.1086/707114.
[4] “Hisashige Tanaka.” Toshiba Science Museum : Hisashige Tanaka, https://toshiba-mirai-kagakukan.jp/en/learn/history/toshiba_history/spirit/hisashige_tanaka/index.htm.
[5] “Hisashige Tanaka（1799-1881）: The Seiko Museum Ginza.” THE SEIKO MUSEUM, https://museum.seiko.co.jp/en/knowledge/inventors_04/.
[6] Kawada, Hisashi, and Solomon B. Levine. Human Resources in Japanese Industrial Development. Princeton University Press, 2014.
[7] “Pair of Folding Pricket Candlestick.” Christopher Clarke Antiques, https://campaignfurniture.com/other-travel-items/lighting/pair-of-folding-pricket-candlestick.
