The Inspiration · ブランドの源泉
"He who creates nothing original merely tastes the dregs of others."
— Hiraga Gennai, c.1764
In 18th-century Edo, Hiraga Gennai was an anomaly — a scientist, inventor, writer, and entrepreneur who refused to be confined by the rigid social structures of his time.
He built Japan's first electrostatic generator (Elekiteru), pioneered Western-style oil painting, invented thermometers, and wrote satirical novels under pen names. He was, in every sense, the Japanese Da Vinci.
Karakuri Studio exists to carry that spirit forward — building clever mechanisms for modern problems, one small app at a time.
Inventor Profile · 発明家
平賀源内
Hiraga Gennai, 1728–1780
- Elekiteru · エレキテル Built Japan's first electrostatic generator in 1770, demonstrating electricity to stunned Edo crowds.
- Thermometer · 寒暖計 Pioneered thermometer production in Japan — solving a problem nobody had named yet.
- Oil Painting · 洋画 First Japanese practitioner of Western oil painting techniques.
- Viral Marketing · 土用の丑の日 Invented "Doyo no Ushi no Hi" — the first recorded viral marketing campaign. Unagi sales still peak every July because of him.