[Photo of MIT's exhibit highlighting Honma and others]
As the first Japanese student to graduate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT), Eiichiro Honma went on to contribute greatly to the development of Japan’s railway. Born in the early 1850s, Eiichiro Honma was the son of Gensui Honma, a samurai of the Fukuoka domain retained by a daimyo. In 1867, he was ordered by the daimyo’s feudal decree to study in the United States. Around this time, Japan had opened its borders after self-isolating for over 250 years. There was a great interest in learning everything the outside world had to offer, so many men and some women were sponsored by different han (daimyo's estate) or government to be educated abroad. Honma first attended the Mt. Pleasant Classical Institute and subsequently the Highland Military Academy.
On November 17th, 1869, The Springfield Daily Republican newspaper noted his stay at the
academy stating, “Two Japanese boys named [Honma] and Enoye have been placed in the
Highland military academy at Worcester, with orders from Japan to complete the full course of study.” He was around the age of 16 at the time of his stay in Worcester as recorded on the 1870 U.S. Census. By 1874, he had graduated from MIT with a degree in civil engineering.
[Course Catalogue of MIT 1873 – 1874, showing one of many variations of spelling his name]
After graduating, Eiichiro Honma returned to Japan where he had a long career working
on the railway system. The projects he worked on helped solve various problems faced by the railways. One such project he worked on as a junior engineer was the Otagiri Bridge on the Shinetsu Main Line in Niigata prefecture. Completed in 1887, the building of this bridge proved to be a difficult challenge due to the tracks needing to cross the Otagiri River. The construction was initially planned to be done with steel, but since steel materials were expensive imports at the time, a large-scale embankment construction project was carried out (Echigo Tokimeki Railway). Not only is it still in active use today, it has survived the mudslide of 1914 and the great flood of 1995.
In 1891, Honma led the construction of the Usui Pass. The project focused on building
a connection between Yokokawa and Karuizawa but this too was a difficult challenge. The Usui Pass had long been considered the greatest natural barrier in Japan since it consisted entirely of hills rising one above the other (Smith). Construction ended in January 1893 and after testing, was open to the public in April of the same year. In 1997, the Nagano Shinkansen opened which resulted in the closing of the Usui line since the number of passengers would not be sufficient to maintain the line and its costs (Usuitouge Railway Heritage Park). Even though it is not used today, the Usui Line’s historical significance is immense which is shown by its designation as important cultural properties of Japan.
These were just two of the many projects Eiichiro Honma worked on in his career.
Additional railways he worked on included the Sobu Railway, Hokuetsu Railway, and the Tobu Railway. Railway surveys he conducted in the early 1900s took him abroad to China and Korea. Honma died in October 1927 at the age of 75. His contributions to the Japanese railway system were significant and displayed his expertise and innovation when it came to navigating the difficult terrain. His legacy lives on through the work he has done which serves as a reminder of Japan’s rapid modernization and the individuals who helped shape its infrastructure.
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(Hayden Library Loft Exhibit at MIT, running September 23rd to December 19th, 2024)
Works Cited
Eichigo Tokimeki Railway. 「大田切橋梁」が、2021年2月4日正式に国の登録有形文化財
になりました。 | えちごトキめき鉄道株式会社. 2021, www.echigo-
tokimeki.co.jp/information/detail?id=1085. Accessed 13 Sept. 2024.
Smith, Roderick A. The Usui Toge Railway of the Shin-Etsu Line, 1893-1997. Sept. 1997,
www.ejrcf.or.jp/jrtr/jrtr13/pdf/f28_ras.pdf. Accessed 13 Sept. 2024.
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