The Shogun's Admiral --- Graves In The Middle Of A Suburb

Located on a hilltop in the middle of Yokosuka's Ikeda-Cho residential district -- a place with a breathtaking view of the City harbor and Tokyo Bay -- are the large grave-stones of MUKAI SHOGEN and his wife...

 














Admiral MUKAI (1621-1674) was the commander of the Tokugawa Shogun's navy.  Here is a painting of what some of his ships looked like back in those days:

Of interest, Admiral MUKAI was a contemporary of the Englishman, William Adams (who is also buried in Yokosuka -- Hemi District, Anjin-Zuka), and, together they built first Japan's western-style sailing ships...

One day Ieyasu commanded Adams to construct a Western-style ship.  Although Adams had studied shipbuilding at Diggins in his young days, he had never actually built a ship.  Even so, determined to comply with Ieyasu’s request, he obtained the comprehensive assistance of the Liefde’s shipwright, Pieter Janszoon, as well as that of ship-carpenters from the Bakufu Navy, Mukai Shogen.  Together, in Ito of the Izu Peninsula, they created an 80-tonne Western-style ship.  When Ieyasu saw their success, he immediately ordered construction of an even larger ship, this time 120 tonnes. This ship ended up serving as a substitute for the Spanish Viceroy Don Rodrigo’s ship, which wrecked off Onjuku in Chiba. To repay this debt of gratitude, Spain opened up Mexico, then its own territory, for full-scale trade with Japan; and also sent Sebastian Vizcaino, its first-ever ambassador to Japan, to Uraga.

William Adams' remarkable life (i.e., going form a shipwrecked sailor to a samurai advisor to Japan's top ruler) was turned into a historical novel "Shogun" written by James Clavell, and was also made into a multi-part T.V. movie of the same name in 1980.

A real good biography of Adams can be read here.

An Island, a Monk, and a Monkey --- SARU-SHIMA

SARU-SHIMA, which means "Monkey Island" is the only natural island in Tokyo Bay --- and Tokyo Bay is HUGE, so that is saying something.

A recent visitor wrote this description.

SARU-SHIMA is located close off-shore Yokosuka, right in the middle of the approaches to the harbor --- so, from a military point of view, it is a natural/classic defensive position, and the Japanese Imperial Army and Navy built extensive coastal artillery and other facilities on Saru-shima.  In 1942, anti-air guns were installed at five different concrete-reinforced spots on the island.

A long time ago Sarushima Island was called "Toshima Island" (Number 10 Island.)  At that time there were more islands among Sarushima Island: for example Kasajima Island, Hirashima Island, Takogaijima Island, and more.  All together there ware 10 islands.  Thats probably the reason that they called one of them "Toshima Island".  Toshima means litterly "10 islands".  From the days of the Meiji period, all the other islands are lost because of several (land-fill) projects of government and industry, leaving only Sarushima Island still existing today.  

Although it is called Monkey Island, none of those critters live on it -- they are nowhere to be found.  The name actually comes from Buddhism, and one of its famous monks: NICHIREN SHONIN.

In April 1253 Nichiren, the priest that the branch of Nichiren Buddhism has founded, wanted to sail from the country Kasuza (in Chiba, across the bay from Yokosuka) to Kamakura (located northwaet of Yokosuka), but he fell into a storm.  The priest began to pray and sing to the Holy Dragon god of the sea.  Miraculously the huge dragon appeared and the water was calm again.  However, the captain had no idea where he was and got off course.  The legend goes that at that time a White Monkey on the bow of the boat appeared and led them to an island, this island was therefor called Sarushima Island.  When Nichiren came to the beach he saw a fisherman whose feet were hurt by the spines of the sea snail.  He sang a prayer, and ever since then the sea snails had no longer spines, and even now, as you will find on the beaches, you'll only find shells of the sea snail without spines...

A good short biography of Nichiren Shonin is here.

If you are thinking about going to see Saru-Shima, read this article.

Battleship YAMASHIRO 戦艦山城 --- "Only 10 Survived"

Here is a good shot of the memorials which are lined-up at the eastern end of Yokosuka's Verny Park:

I have already described, earlier in this blog, the four monuments starting from the right-hand side of the photograph, and now I would like to concentrate on the one furthest to the left, which is dedicated to the Imperial Japanese Navy's battleship "YAMASHIRO."

 

YAMASHIRO was built at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal (1913-1917), so I guess that is one reason for the memorial to be located here.  The following is a brief history of the ill-fated battleship from WIKIPEDIA:

Yamashiro (山城, "Mountain castle", named for Yamashiro Province) was the second of two Fusō-class dreadnought battleships built for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Launched in 1915 and commissioned in 1917, she initially patrolled off the coast of China, playing no part in World War I. In 1923, she assisted survivors of the Great Kantō earthquake.

Yamashiro was modernized between 1930 and 1935, with improvements to her armor and machinery and a rebuilt superstructure in the pagoda mast style. Nevertheless, with only 14-inch guns, she was outclassed by other Japanese battleships at the beginning of World War II, and played auxiliary roles for most of the war.

By 1944, though, she was forced into front-line duty, serving as the flagship of Vice-Admiral Shōji Nishimura's Southern Force at the Battle of Surigao Strait, the southernmost action of the Battle of Leyte Gulf. During fierce night fighting in the early hours of 25 October against a superior American force, Yamashiro was sunk by torpedoes and naval gunfire. Nishimura went down with his ship, and only 10 crewmembers survived.

   









Yamashiro was the second of two Fuso-class battleships, but was the first Japanese battleship equipped with aircraft catapults. Between Dec 1930 and Mar 1935, she undergone a modernization that replaced her boilers, added aircraft handling facilities, and added better armor protection, particularly against torpedo attacks. After this modernization, her appearance became rather different than her sister ship Fuso: the pagoda-style tower was larger after being extended further aft, which required that the stowed position of Turret 3 in the aft position, as opposed to forward as on Fuso. 

The Battle of Surigao Strait which doomed YAMASHIRO.

Uraga Bay -- The Place Where Yokosuka First Modernized

Saburosuke NAKAJIMA, from Uraga, was the "right man at the right time" as described in this Sumitomo Corp. historical description... 

== Almost all Japanese associate Uraga with the arrival of American Navy Commodore Matthew Perry.  In 1853, Perry's fulfillment of his mission to deliver President Fillmore's personal letter to the Shogunate ended more than 200 years of self-imposed isolation and signaled the beginning of trade between Japan and the rest of the world. 

While Perry's four warships were anchored off Uraga, one of the Shogunate officials who boarded them was Saburosuke Nakajima.  Born in Uraga, he had been thoroughly trained in shipbuilding by his father and was keenly interested in any and all new developments in that field.  His detailed observation of the ships' interior allowed him to gain an understanding of how they were built.  After Perry returned to America, the Shogunate ordered Nakajima to build a Western-style warships.  Nakajima immediately set up Japan's first real shipbuilding works and set to work.  "The three-masted barque, called the 'Ho-o Maru,' was completed in just six months and is testament to the extent of the knowledge and expertise in shipbuilding Nakajima had acquired by then -- something I think quite worthy of recognition," explains local historian Shoichi Yamamoto with pride.

Nakajima also played a leading role in the extensive repair of the Dutch-built "Kanrin Maru," which was carried out at a dry dock he built at Uraga.  The Kanrin Maru is of historical significance as the ship that carried Shogunal officials across the Pacific for the ratification of the United States-Japan Treaty of Amity and Commerce in 1860.

In 1869, Nakajima sacrificed his life fighting for the crumbling Shogunate; but in 1897 a comrade, then Minister of Agriculture and Commerce Takeaki Enomoto, fulfilled a wish he had had by founding the "Uraga Senkyo Kabushiki Kaisha" ("Uraga Dock Co., Ltd.").  The predecessor of Sumitomo Heavy Industries' Uraga Shipyard, it produced numerous vessels during its long and colorful history.

AND, here are several views of historic Uraga shipyard and bay: