1858 Miura View of the Kaisei Maru, One of Japan's First Modern Warships

One of Japan's Earliest Modern Warships.

This is a scarce 1858 ukiyo-e view of the Kaisei Maru, prepared by Miura Kenya, the vessel's chief carpenter. Although it was in service for only a short time and was quickly eclipsed by more modern vessels, the ship is significant as one of Japan's first domestically produced modern warships.

A Closer Look

This view depicts the Kaisei Maru at sea with sails aflutter. The ship's hull is illustrated below the water level to give the viewer a sense of its design. On deck, crew members engage in a flurry of activity, including a coxswain at the prow of the ship, a navigator with their telescope extended, two groups of men with guns and spears or harpoons at the ready, the ship's pilot at the helm towards the rear of the ship, and a group of men apparently fishing off the boat's stern. A rowboat is affixed to the side of the ship, and smoke billows across its deck, though it is unclear if this is from cannon fire or some other reason. A box of text at the top-right includes the work's title and specifications about the ship, such as the number and size of sails. The title is somewhat ambiguous; it may refer to some preliminary training exercises or to the ship's first voyage to Edo in February 1859, but the date given (安政五年戊午春日) suggests that Miura drew this view while the ship was still in the planning stages.

The Kaisei Maru

The Kaisei Maru was among Japan's earliest modern warships, built in a shipyard at Sabusawa Island in Shiogama, part of the Sendai Domain. It was a two-mast schooner with a length of 110 shaku (尺, roughly equal to a foot) and equipped with nine cannons. It was strongly influenced by the first generation of ships built in Japan for coastal defense in the wake of the visits of American Commodore Matthew Perry. Despite its reputation for inwardness and conservatism, after the departure of the 'Black Ships,' the Tokugawa Shogunate quickly lifted a long-standing ban on building large ships and imported materials, ships, and foreign experts to build up a coastal navy. Individual domains were encouraged to pursue their own projects, including the Shōhei Maru constructed by Satsuma Domain, the Asahi Maru constructed by Mito Domain, and Sendai's Kaisei Maru. Although they were important for laying the foundation for later shipbuilding, these ships were generally outdated by the time of their completion and stood no chance against state-of-the-art Western steam-powered vessels. Instead, they were used to train sailors and for transportation purposes. However, Japan quickly caught up, being gifted a steam-powered warship by the King of the Netherlands in 1855 (Kanko Maru) and domestically produced its first steam-powered warship, the Chiyodagata, in 1863.

The Kaisei Maru was built between August and November 1858. Upon being launched, the ship made at least four voyages to Edo over the following two years, mostly transporting rice and salt. It appears to have been taken out of regular service shortly thereafter and then irreparably damaged after running aground sometime during the Bunkyu era (1861-1864).

Publication History and Census

This view was prepared by Miura Ken'ya (三浦乾也) in 1858 (安政五年). It is labeled 'Image No. 1' (第一圖) implying that it was part of a series, and the phrase '實形一百二十分之一' in the text box is suggestive of a work consisting of 120 prints (presumably not all of the Kaisei Maru), though this work's exact connection with such a larger work is unknown. It is quite scarce, only being noted among the holdings of the Homma Museum of Art, the Tokyo Metropolitan Library, and the Sendai City Museum. The Tokyo National Museum holds a similar print titled '開成丸真形百廿分之一圖' that depicts the ship with some specifications but no sailors.

Cartographer

Miura Ken'ya (三浦乾也; April 5, 1821 - October 7, 1889) was a potter, carpenter, shipbuilder, and samurai in the late Tokugawa and early Meiji periods. Born in Edo as an illegitimate child, he was adopted by a farming family and then passed on to a relative who taught him pottery. When 17 years old, Miura became an apprentice to Ogata Kenzan (尾形乾山), based in Edo's Yoshiwara district. When he was 25 years old, Miura was adopted into the family of painter Ishii Butsushin and married his older sister, Oei. After the arrival of American Commodore Perry's 'Black Ships' Miura stopped his pottery work and proposed coastal defense and shipbuilding designs to the Shogunate. He undertook an intensive study of metallurgy, shipbuilding, canon technology, and related industries, moving to Nagasaki with a group of aspiring Japanese shipbuilders to study with the Dutch naval officer Gerhardus Fabius (1806-1888) and the physician-scientist Jan Karel van den Broek (1814 - 1865). In 1856, Miura was invited to Sendai Domain to work as the chief carpenter on the construction of the sailing ship Kaisei Maru, one of Japan's earliest modern warships, for which the domain awarded him the title of samurai. During the transition between the Tokugawa and Meiji periods, Miura was imprisoned and had his samurai status stripped on suspicion of being aligned with the old regime. After his release from prison, Miura returned to pottery but also produced the earliest domestically made telegraph insulators for the new government's Ministry of Public Works. His business ventures in making such insulators, bricks, and ceramics all failed and Miura ended his days as a potter, using a kiln on the grounds of the Chomei-ji Temple in Tokyo.   Further Details...

Condition

Very good. Some wear on old fold lines.

References

東京都立図書館 請求記号：近742, 資料コード: 4300406020. 本間美術館: C000232-1961. Sato, D., Kurosu, K. and Inoue T., The Voyage of the Kaisei Maru, a Western-style Sailing Ship of the Sendai Domain: A Record of Coastal Defense Plans and Practices in the Bakumatsu Period, (Sendai: Tohoku Daigaku...) 2022. [佐藤大介, 黒須潔, 井上拓巳, 仙台藩の洋式帆船開成丸の航跡 : 幕末の海防構想と実践の記録 (東北大学災害科学国際研究所歴史文化遺産保全学分野)]