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First to industrialize
The Japanese were dumbstruck when the Dutch showed them machinery. They had been handpicking rice and painting lewd pictures of octopi up until that point.
First to industrialize amongst their neighbors. And mechanization of rice harvesting is a very late invention.
As is, for that matter, lewd octopus drawings, which date only to the 19th century.
First to industrialize amongst their neighbors.
The OP is still misleading to make his point.
As is, for that matter, lewd octopus drawings, which date only to the 19th century.
Most famous example from 1814 (NSFW): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dream_of_the_Fisherman's_Wife Although I bet that for a popular artist to be able to publish this openly, it probably means it was already floating in the culture before. The article mentions earlier netsuke, but without dates and the sources are books.
Most famous example from 1814
Yes, the 19th century.
I am providing additional information to your point.
How was OP misleading then?
About the "first to industrialize", it didn't make sense unless you add "among its neighbors", because Western countries industrialized before and brought a lot of technology to Japan, especially modern guns and much more after the Meiji restoration from 1868 and the reopening of Japan after 2.5 centuries of isolation under the Edo period.
Some of them still do the second one. And it may have rubbed of on everyone else
They might be the fastest to industrialize, at least.
They were so late to industrialize that they were using mules/donkeys to taxi new zero planes from the factory to the runway during WW2.