Lost battle ship

Now, we are visiting the exhibition room named 'the collection of the Wasen laboratory'. Looking at the exhibitions, we want to review the history of Wasen or Japanese wooden ships. We wrote an article about the battle ships in the Sengoku period before. Now, we want to write a little more about them and find the reason why 'the Sengoku battle ships' were lost, or moved into decline.  

exhibition room named 'the collection of the Wasen laboratory'

We think the reason is associated with the history of Japanese ships until then. Japanese style ships were uniquely developed after many years. And the most typical feature was 'flat bottom structure'. It was effective even in the battlefield in domestic ocean. However, in a big battle in the foreign ocean, Japanese battle ships exposed a weak point at the end of the Sengoku period. Because the flat bottom structure was weak against a big impact made by enemy ships' body check and a damage from cannon balls. They were disadvantageous in the combat areas of the ocean.

To find out the reason why the Japanese style ships achieved this form, we want to look back on the history of them roughly. The oldest ocean-going ships were made in the purpose of trade and transaction with China approximately 1400 years ago. But these ships were imitations of Chinese style. Own unique development of Japanese ships was supposed to begin in the latter half of the Heian period (approximately 1000 years ago). Then, a big domestic war happened between the Genji group and the Heishi group then. They fought each other around an inland sea of Japan, and it was a trigger.

Next several hundreds years, ships were not important in the battles. So, the development of Japanese ships was not achieved during these days. Next development came from a need to trade with China in the Muromachi period (approximately 600 years ago). For the purpose, they needed big ships which could travel to China through the ocean. Then, there was a development making big scale ships.

This development leaded to the investment of "the Atake ship"in the Sengoku period. And, it was an unrivaled ship in the domestic sea of Japan during this period. However, this big ship had a weak point, and it had an awful defeat in the war against neighboring foreign country. After this war, the government banned to make these big ships. That avoids the battles of the ocean, and there was no development of the battle ships in Japan during the Edo period (approximately 400 years to 150 years ago).   

From a memory of Verkehr museum

During the Edo period, the development of ships was concentrated on the domestic trade around Japan. The famous Kitamae ships were developed then. We visited the Wasen Research Institution's collection exhibition room in the Kanagawa University in the Kanagawa prefecture. These history we explain above are displayed in this room with many models of ships. 

To visit the Wasen Research Institution's collection exhibition room in the university, you'd better use Shinkansen super express. Getting out at Shin-Yokohama station, you transfer to the JR Yokohama line. Then, get out at the next station, Kikuna, and transfer again to To-yoko private line for Yokohama. Only 1 station before you get out at Hakuraku.

One of streets in front of the station is a shopping street toward the Kanagawa University. We suppose the university is deeply accepted by people in this town. You can arrive there belong to a stream of people, but, you may double-check Google Map. Riding from Shin-Yokohama to Hakuraku by 20 minutes or so, and from the gateway of the Hakuraku station to an entrance of the university is about the same.


An examination about the defeat

We want to reconsider why the Atake ships were defeated in the battle of the outer ocean in the Sengoku period. Even though they were unrivaled among the domestic ocean. The most important reason is lower level development as the wooden battle ships because of less experience. The Atake ships were active in the inland sea, the Setonaikai sea. Less experience leaded misunderstanding that making heavy armor around the whole ship would overwhelm speed. So, they had less capacity of moving that ended up becoming a fatal weak point in the battle field of the ocean. If they experienced battles which needed ships' speed, they would focus it.  

There was another weak point in the body of the Japanese battle ship at that time. Because it developed from a trade ship during the Muromachi period, they didn't notice its weakness of the body. Japanese ships' bottoms were made flat being different from other foreign wooden ships. They had a weakness when a big vibration such as a collision with other ships made their body's water tightness lost. When they had fought against small ships in the domestic battles, they had no problem about their body. However, when they fought against bigger foreign ships, the impact of collisions made their bodies broken. Compared with Japanese battle ships, foreign battle ships bore the vibrations.

There was another weak point in the body of the Japanese battle ship at that time. Because it developed from a trade ship during the Muromachi period, they didn't notice its weakness of the body. Japanese ships' bottoms were made flat being different from other foreign wooden ships. They had a weakness when a big vibration such as a collision with other ships made their body's water tightness lost. When they had fought against small ships in the domestic battles, they had no problem about their body. However, when they fought against bigger foreign ships, the impact of collisions made their bodies broken. Compared with Japanese battle ships, foreign battle ships bore the vibrations.

Furthermore, Japanese battle ships mainly had arquebuses but few canons in them. However, foreign battle ships had many canons. Japanese battle ships had few experiences fired by canons on the battle field of the ocean. This was the first experience for the Japanese ships getting canon balls directly. Japanese wooden battle ships' bodies were not made by thick boards. So, they were broken widely by one hit of enemies canon balls, and if they were hit, soon sank.