Born at Nirayama in Izu (Izunokuni, Shizuoka) into the Egawa family, hereditary shogunate intendants.
As intendant he governed with care for people's livelihoods and spread vaccination, earning the nickname "Egawa the world-mender".
He surveyed Edo Bay for coastal defence and associated with Watanabe Kazan and others.
He learned Western gunnery from Takashima Shūhan and assisted his demonstration at Tokumarugahara in Edo.
He taught gunnery at Nirayama, with pupils such as Sakuma Shōzan, and baked bread as a field ration, earning the title "father of bread".
After Perry's arrival he directed the building of the Shinagawa gun batteries to defend Edo.
He began building a reverberatory furnace for casting cannon; it was completed after his death and is now a World Heritage site.
Worn out by overwork, he fell ill and died in Edo.
Watanabe KazanMatthew C. PerrySakuma ShōzanTakashima ShūhanKawaji Toshiakira
Utagawa KuniyoshiTakashima ShūhanUdagawa YōanTokugawa NariakiKawaji ToshiakiraTakano ChōeiTownsend HarrisFujita Toko
People of the Edo period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.