Ebisugahana Shipyard

Lore & Background

During the Bakumatsu period, the Tokugawa shogunate rescinded its ban on large ocean-capable ships after the Perry Expedition of 1853, and feudal domains were instructed to build modern warships. Chōshū Domain initially took a passive stance due to antagonism toward the Tokugawa regime and financial constraints, but after Katsura Kogorō submitted a treatise on warship construction, daimyō Mōri Takachika authorized the Ebisugahana shipyard. Master carpenter Ōzaki Koemon was sent to Heda in Izu Province, where a schooner was under construction with Russian assistance, and he invited chief carpenter Takasaki Denzō to Chōshū in 1855. In December 1855, the domain's first warship, the 25-meter Heitatsu Maru, was launched, and it successfully made a trial run to Mishima Island in June 1856.

Reader's Guide

The Ebisugahana Shipyard holds significance as a tangible remnant of Japan's rapid industrialization during the Bakumatsu period, when feudal domains responded to foreign pressure by building modern warships. It represents Chōshū Domain's early efforts to adopt Western shipbuilding techniques, using local ironworks and carpenters trained by Russian and Dutch instructors. The site's recognition as a National Historic Site in 2013 and its inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage Site 'Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining' in 2015 underscore its importance as part of a broader narrative of Japan's transition from isolation to industrial modernity. The archaeological findings—including workshops and a drydock—provide insight into the scale and organization of the shipyard. However, the shipyard's limited output (only two vessels) and its eventual replacement by purchased steamships illustrate the challenges domains faced in competing with foreign technology. Today, the site is largely residential, with only a stone breakwater visible, but its legacy endures as a key location in Japan's industrial heritage.

Did You Know?

• The Ebisugahana Shipyard was opened in 1865, but its first warship, the Heitatsu Maru, was launched in December 1855.
• The Kōshin Maru, the second vessel built at the shipyard, was sunk by an American warship during the Battle of Shimonoseki Straits in 1863, then salvaged and used until about 1868.
• Nails, fittings, and anchors for the ships were supplied from the Ohitayama Tatara Iron Works using traditional tatara methods.
• The site was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 2013 and became part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015.