Bamboo to Bulbs: The Great Connection Between Thomas Edison, Milan, and Japan
- Dillion Liskai
- Apr 23
- 4 min read
As spring arrives in Ohio, cherry blossoms begin to bloom across the country, most spectacularly in our nation’s capital. But with those blossoms comes something else: rain, rain, and yes, more rain. If April showers drive you indoors, stop by the Don Gfell Education Center at the Thomas A. Edison Birthplace Museum! In the far-right corner, you'll find a glass case beneath several framed proclamations. Lean in, and you’ll see they’re written in Japanese. A glance below reveals items from Japan as well. The story of how these pieces crossed the Pacific is as beautiful as the cherry blossoms themselves.
Since August 12, 1986, Milan, Ohio, has been a sister city with Yawata City, Japan. The ties between Milan and Yawata City run much deeper than 1986, though, as Thomas Edison in 1879 used bamboo sourced from Yawata City in his early experiments with the lightbulb. Thomas Edison was willing to try just about any material humanly possible as a filament in his early light bulbs to make them burn brighter and last longer. He tried thousands of items, ranging from traditional filaments, like carbon and tungsten, to outlandish materials such as fishing line, coconut fibers, cardboard, and even some hairs extracted from one of his co-workers’ beards.
One day, while in the laboratory, Thomas Edison came across a folding fan made of bamboo and decided to give bamboo a try as a filament. Initially, like with some of the other thousands of items he tested, he did not expect much. However, to his surprise, the filament he created from the bamboo folding fan worked. Not only did it work, but it worked extremely well; in fact, Thomas Edison immediately had his researchers scour the globe for bamboo that he could use in his light bulbs.
A year after his first experiment with bamboo, his search led his researchers across the Pacific Ocean to the island nation of Japan. More specifically, it took them to Yawata City, located in the Kyoto Prefecture. There is a large bamboo grove near the Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine, a Shinto shrine built initially in 859 (and still standing today). The madake species of bamboo that grows there, called Hachiman-dake (Hachiman Bamboo), was selected by Edison’s researchers as the premier type of bamboo for his light bulbs. The researchers’ judgment was spot on, as this bamboo species burned for 1,200 consecutive hours, an unparalleled length of time. From that point on, Edison and Japan became forever intertwined.
As time went on and filaments evolved, the people of Yawata City never forgot about Thomas Edison. In 1934, just over half a century after Edison first began to dismantle a bamboo folding fan and merely three years after his death, a monument was erected near Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine on Mt. Otokoyama to commemorate Edison and his achievements. The monument was relocated to its current site in 1958 and redesigned in 1984, and to this day, it remains surrounded by the very bamboo groves that Edison and his team used to illuminate the world. Around the same time that the monument was being restored, a friendship began to blossom like a cherry blossom between Yawata City and Milan. In August of 1986, Milan, Ohio and Yawata City, Japan formally became sister cities, exchanging culture, ideas, and gifts ever since.
In terms of culture, the memory of Edison, as alluded to earlier, is deeply rooted in some of the modern-day traditions of Yawata City. Each year on Edison’s birthday, February 11, celebrations and ceremonies are held in Yawata City. Additionally, on October 18, the anniversary of Edison’s death, a memorial service for Edison takes place. Furthermore, a major road in Yawata City has been named after Thomas Edison, further highlighting his importance to the town of almost 70,000 people.
So, if you are ever in Japan and want to learn more about Thomas Edison, be sure to visit and enjoy everything that Yawata City has to offer! If Japan is too far for you, or if you find yourself drenched by Ohio’s notorious April showers, be sure to stop by the Don Gfell Education Center at the Thomas A. Edison Birthplace Museum to view the incredible history between Milan and Yawata City for yourself and to explore our vast collection of Edisonia!
Sources Used and Encouraged for Further Reading
Bedi, Joyce. 2004. “Thomas Edison's Inventive Life | Lemelson.” Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation. https://invention.si.edu/invention-stories/thomas-edisons-inventive-life
Rutgers University - New Brunswick School of Arts and Sciences. “Electric Lamp.” Thomas A. Edison Papers. https://edison.rutgers.edu/life-of-edison/inventions?catid=91&id=531&view=article
Takashi, Sasaki. 2022. Thomas Edison: The Incandescent Light Bulb and Japanese Bamboo. https://www.gov-online.go.jp/eng/publicity/book/hlj/html/202208/202208_08_en.html
“Yawata Story.” n.d. Thomas Edison Monument | Yawata Story. Accessed April 4, 2025. https://www.city.yawata.kyoto.jp/yawata-story/en/introduction/introduction008.html
Dillon Liskai, a native of Clyde, Ohio, is currently a junior at Bowling Green State University. He is pursuing a degree in Adolescent to Young Adult (AYA) Integrated Social Studies Education with a specialization in History.
For the past three years, Dillon has worked as a tour guide at the Thomas A. Edison Birthplace Museum. When not at school or the museum, he enjoys cheering on the Bowling Green Falcons, spending time with friends and family, and exploring local history.
Have a question for Dillon? Reach out via email at dliskai@tomedison.org!
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