Tokugawa Ieyasu's Clock | |
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Japanese: 徳川家康の洋時計 | |
Artist | Nicolaus de Troestenberch or Hans de Evalo |
Year | 1573 or 1581 |
Type | Clock |
Medium | Bronze, silver, brass |
Dimensions | 21.5 cm × 10.6 cm (8.5 in × 4.2 in) |
Designation | Important Cultural Property (1979) |
Location | Kunōzan Tōshō-gū Museum, Shizuoka |
Owner | Kunōzan Tōshō-gū |
Tokugawa Ieyasu's Clock (Japanese: 徳川家康の洋時計, Tokugawa Ieyasu no yōdokei) is a clock which was given to Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu of Japan by King Philip III of Spain in 1611. Built in 1573 or 1581, the clock is the oldest surviving clock in Japan[1] and one of the few surviving clocks in the world of its era. Since Ieyasu's death, the clock has been stored at Kunōzan Tōshō-gū, and has since been designated as an Important Cultural Property[2] with application to designate it as a National Treasure in Japan under consideration. A 2012 examination by the British Museum concluded that the clock is likely the only clock in the world of its era in which almost all of the internal parts remain as they were originally made.[3]