Gennai HIRAGA

Gennai Hiraga was a Japanese inventor and scientist who lived in the Edo period. He was born in 1728 in the city of Edo (now Tokyo). He was a very intelligent child and showed a great interest in science and invention. He studied under the famous Confucian scholar, Arai Hakuseki, and later became a student of the Dutch physician, Engelbert Kaempfer. Hiraga was a prolific inventor and is credited with inventing a number of things, including the first Japanese telescope, the first Japanese microscope, and the first Japanese thermometer. He also made improvements to the design of the Japanese clock and invented a number of new machines, including a water pump, a windmill, and a loom. Hiraga was a very eccentric man and had a big ego. He was also a very outspoken critic of the government and was often in trouble with the authorities. He was eventually arrested and imprisoned for his political views. He died in prison in 1780. Despite his eccentricities, Hiraga was a brilliant inventor and scientist. He made a number of important contributions to Japanese science and technology. He is considered to be one of the most important figures in the history of Japanese science.