The Man Who Designed Tokyo Bay's Coastal Artillery Forts

The following was written by a knowledgeable Japanese local historian .... The subject of the article is an Imperial Army engineering officer who built fortifications to defend Tokyo Bay, and who is commemorated by a large monument in Yokosuka's Kinugasa Park .... Due to its strategic location near the entrance to Tokyo Bay, Yokosuka became the site for numerous coastal defense fortifications and also hosted an Imperial Army artillery regiment...       

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Japanese Army Engineer Officer suggested to construct Sea-Forts in Tokyo Bay in 1881

Akinori NISHIDA was born in Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture in 1828, 40 years before the Meiji Restoration. The family of Nishida belonged a lower-class Samurai.  He inherited the family’s business of building and surveying at his age of 29.  His ability in computation utilizing the Japanese mathematic was well reputed since his boyhood days.

NISHIDA was invited by Aritomo YAMAGATA (one of the most well-known Imperial Army Generals and a politician who was born in Yamaguchi Prefecture) and entered Ministry of War of the Meiji Government in Tokyo in 1871 (at age of 41 years old).  In the next year, he was promoted to Army Engineer Captain and constructed many buildings such as buildings of Military Academy and the Yasukuni Shrine.

 

In 1880, NISHIDA became a member of the committee for the research on Coast Defense in the Army Department of Staff and was engaged in research and planning on the construction of fortresses.  In October of 1881, he wrote up the total cost estimation for constructing forts around the entrance of Tokyo Bay including the First Sea Fort (Daiichi Kaihou, 第一海堡, Second Sea Fort (Daini Kaihou, 第二海堡) and Third Sea Fort (Daisan Kaihou, 第三海堡). 

NISHIDA submitted a requisition for the disbursement of the cost for constructing the forts at the entrance of Tokyo Bay to General YAMAGATA, the Head of the Army General Staff Office.

According to his plan to stop the enemy ships coming into Tokyo Bay, three Sea Forts on three man-made islands, at least, located at the entrance of Tokyo Bay in order to fire on enemies’ ships coming in, considering the range of guns available at that time.

NISHIDA was being engaged in constructing the sea forts as Army Engineer and Part-time Engineer until 1903.  He changed his position by himself from the Army Officer to Army Officer renouncing further promotion as Army Engineer Officer, so that he could more concentrate on the sea fort construction as an engineer.

NISHIDA died on May 21, 1906, at his age of 78, before he could see the completions of constructing the Second Sea Fort and the Third Sea Fort.

The Sea Forts proposed by Akinori Nishida have not been currently used, but all information and experiences relating to these constructions have been contributed to advance Japan’s technologies of the civil engineering and construction in the sea and water.

A Monument for praising and recognizing Mr. Akinori Nishida’s efforts and achievements is located on Yokosuka City's Kinugasa Park Hill.