pedometer
- Museum number
- 1888,1201.338
- Description
-
SILVERED-BRASS PEDOMETER.
Brass pedometer with silvered plates engraved with foliate scrolls and dials with Kanji characters; two dials on one side, one on other; pendant composed of piece of brass bent over in middle.
- Production date
- 18thC-19thC (Edo period)
- Dimensions
-
Length: 140 millimetres
-
Width: 53 millimetres
- Curator's comments
- This pedometer is very similar to one in the Seiko museum which can be found here:
https://museum.seiko.co.jp/en/collections/traditional_Japanese_clock/collect013/
The dials on our pedometer are near identical to their example, though ours seem to be arranged anti-clockwise rather than clockwise.
As on their example there is one large dial on the reverse showing the kanji characters for 1-36 (cho), and on the front two dials: upper dial 10-60 (ken)and lower dial 1-10 (ri). Unlike their example ours does not have any mechanism to adjust the pedometer to the individuals pace.
Inside the pedometer the mechanism consists of a hanging weight, suspended near the top of the pedometer and able to swing from side to side. As it moves the weight indexes forward the wheel of the upper dial (ken), this then drives the wheel for the dial on the reverse (cho), which in turn drives the wheel for the lower dial on the front of the pedometer (ri).
ken = 6 shaku =1.818m / 71.57in
1cho = 60 ken = 360 shaku =109m / 358ft
1 ri = 36 cho = 3.927km / 2.44miles
- Location
- Not on display
- Condition
-
Latest: 5 (Oct 2022) Lead weight inside corroded, pale greyish white loose friable surface with movement of the pendulum resulting in more losses every time it is moved.
-
3 (Mar 2017)
-
3 (Jan 1996); CHECK INSIDE.
- Acquisition date
- 1888
- Department
- Britain, Europe and Prehistory
- Registration number
- 1888,1201.338