SPCWhile the pendulum clock works by a pendulum, this octagon clock works by a round device connected to a spring. It can be used in factories full of vibration or used on a rolling ship. We can even place it at an angle on a desk or a wall. Because of its value on the sea, this type of clock is also known as a ship clock.

SPCThe Museum's Octagon Clock is a one-day clock. It was necessary to wind the clock and adjust time every day. Its right winder is for operating the clockworks and its left winder is for striking time. The second hand is above the center of the dial, and a lever to adjust the speed of the clock is above the numeral twelve. On the upper left there is a lever to synchronize time striking to the position of the hour hand. It is interesting that a hole in the metal fitting to hang the clock on the wall is exactly the same as the one at the bottom to prevent the clock from swinging. After the pendulum clock was introduced, the hole in the metal fitting at the bottom of a wall clock has been only big enough for a nail or a screw to pass through.

SPCThe photo shows an octagon clock made by Seiko in Tokyo (left), and a clock made by Ansonia in the U.S. (right). It is said that Meiji culture was the imitation of foreign cultures: The only visible difference between these two clocks is the manufacturer's mark of Seiko or Ansonia on the face plate. If the Seiko clock were made today, it would be criticized for stealing or imitating design. It would now be called piracy. Words such as "copy" and "cheap" may have been used for Japanese products even in those days. But Japan had not participated in the Western industrial revolution, and the only way to learn the technology of the time was to try and recreate it. It would be interesting to know whether Ansonia knew of Seiko's imitation, and what their attitude toward Seiko would have been if they. 

SPCLater, clocks mass-produced in the U.S., such as Yotsumaru clocks, Horimaru clocks, and octagon clocks rimmed with tacks (Kaminari clocks) were imported in large quantities. We can recapture some of the Meiji culture by listening to the sound of the bell and the "tick-tock."