The Japanese Family Mystery (Upd. Yamaba's Steam Car 1904)

(the translation of the sign) is saying that it is exhibited by Toyota Automobile Museum of Japan.
The steam automobile of ten-person riding by the first domestic car.
The thing which the rich man of Okayama stimulated by exhibition of the U.S. vehicle made the Yamaba Torao make from the 5th domestic industrial exposition held in Osaka in 1903 (Meiji 36).

An engineer and the Yamaba Torao living in Okayama are making a test run by manufacturing a "Yamaba style steam automobile" which will turn into the first authentic domestic car 1904.
Although it succeeded in the run, while turning on the rich man of a delivery place, a rubber tire (what the factory of a rubber tire does not have in Japan those days, and was completely manufactured from 1) could not bear an unpaved road in this side concerning a bridge, and it did not result in utilization.
The body of those days has not carried out existing.

Dear Sirs
When I saw the photo I knew that I had seen it before. It is showm in J.H. Wherry´s " Automobiles of the World" 1968 - page 85. It says : "- a few engineers were bulding experimental in Japan, and one of the first cars there was a steamer. A Mr. Torao Yamaba built the car shown in the very rare photografh reproduced here, a chaindrive machine with a 2-cylinder, 25 hp, condensing- type steam engine. The Yamaba family was large so this automobile was 15 fet long, 4½ feet wide, and could seat ten people. Yamaba equipped this extremely early Japanese car with wire wheels and solid rubber tires. Little unfortunately, is known about the Yamaba Steamers´s performance or whether more were built "

No doubt that it is a steam car - steam generator at the front and the engine underneath at the back like a Stanley. The is a whistle above the steam generator, a pressure gauge and a chimney.

I don't think the components, axle etc are Stanley or any other US steamer in origin as they look too heavy.

It reads "Mr Tatsuo Yamahane who managed an electrical repair factory in Okayama Japan built this steam powered care in May 1905...a useful device that would ascend in civilization"

This courtesy of my friend George Layman, US Army Ret... an oriental language specialist.

Joe Puleo