1848(Age 0)

Nakagawa was born to a merchant family in Yoita, Santo District, Echigo Province (now Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture)

1865(Age 17)

Defying the Shogunate’s orders, Nakagawa traveled to England

1872(Age 24)

Nakagawa journeyed to Germany, where he met Shuzo Aoki (Japan’s future foreign minister)

1873(Age 25)

With Aoki’s support, Nakagawa began learning how to brew beer at the Berlin Beer Brewery in Fürstenwalde

1875(Age 27)

Nakagawa returned to Japan with a master brewer certification and was hired as a beer brewer by the Tokyo branch of the Hokkaido Development Commission (Kaitakushi)

1876(Age 28)

Nakagawa moved to Sapporo and took part in the establishment of the Kaitakushi Beer Brewery, which began operations in September

1877(Age 29)

Nakagawa became the first German-trained beermaker to succeed at brewing beer in Japan Cold-brewed Sapporo Beer began being sold in Tokyo

1886(Age 38)

The government relinquished control of the Kaitakushi Beer Brewery to the private-sector Okura Group, and the following year the Sapporo Beer Brewery was established

1891(Age 43)

Nakagawa left the Sapporo Beer Brewery and opened the Nakagawa Inn in Otaru

1916(Age 68)

Nakagawa died of esophageal cancer