Condition of the education on SABO in the incipient period of modern SABO

Haruo NISHIMOTO

In 1900, the Laboratory of Forest Hydrology and Erosion Control Engineering (SABO) was founded in the Imperial University of Tokyo (present the University of Tokyo), which was the first educational organization for studying and learning this field. I have considered the educational system of SABO in about 15years since around 1900, the process of discussion for founding the Laboratory of SABO, the process of choosing suitable foreign teachers and the educational conditions before Dr. Kitao MOROTO who was the first Japanese professor at the Laboratory of SABO. In Japan, we did not have an educational system for SABO before 1900, however, some experts in forestry science qualitatively commented that the functions of the forest were to protect sediment runoff and preserve water resources. Because at the end of the 19th century, many sediment disasters occurred, SABO law was enacted in 1897, and the educational system of SABO was established in the Forest Science Department, the Imperial University of Tokyo, through promotional activities of Prof. Shitaro Kawai and persons involved. As the first foreign instructor for teaching SABO, Karl Hefele was chosen and came to Tokyo in 1901. He did not have much knowledge about SABO, then he returned to Germany only two years later. After then Amerigo Hofmann became a teacher at the Laboratory of SABO and stayed in Tokyo for about five years. He left great achievements of not only “Hofmann works" in Seto City but also many documents including those published in Austria and in Italy after coming back to Europe. Dr. Kitao Moroto supported Hofmann's performances in Japan as an associate professor. In this paper the condition of the education on SABO is described in the incipient period of modern SABO on the basis of the literature and field investigations. This paper will contribute to the future exchange between Japan and European countries in the field of SABO based on these historical relationships.

Key wordsFlaboratory of forest hydrology and erosion control engineering, education on SABO, foreign teacher, Karl Hefele, Amerigo Hofmann, Kitaro Moroto