Diagram of Soroban.
Image Source: abacus.etherwork.net

Diagram of Soroban.

Detail map of 6, 1-chōme, Marunouchi, Chiyoda City, Tōkyō-to, Japan Overview map of 6, 1-chōme, Marunouchi, Chiyoda City, Tōkyō-to, Japan

A: 6, 1-chōme, Marunouchi, Chiyoda City, Tōkyō-to, Japan

The Japanese Adopt the Abacus, Calling it the Soroban

Circa 1600
Japanese soroban abacus 1x5 from Meiji period (1868-1912).
Image Source: sliderulemuseum.com

Japanese soroban abacus 1x5 from Meiji period (1868-1912).

About the year 1600 the Japanese adopted the Chinese 1/5 abacus via Korea. In Japanese the abacus is called soroban.

The 1/4 abacus appeared in Japan about 1630.

Timeline Themes

Technology / Engineering
Data Processing / Computing
Accounting / Business Machines
Computer & Calculator Design / Architecture