is a Japanese sailing ship that serves as a

museum ship A museum ship, also called a memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, mostly for the small numb ...

in Tokyo. It is displayed at the Etchujima Campus of the

Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology , abbreviated as , is a national university in Japan. The main campus (Shinagawa Campus) is located in Minato, Tokyo and another campus (Etchujima Campus) is in Kōtō, Tokyo. History The university was established in 2003 with a merger of ...

Construction

The ship was constructed for the Japanese government in

Govan Govan ( ; Cumbric: ''Gwovan''; Scots language, Scots: ''Gouan''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of southwest Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the sout ...

(now part of Glasgow, Scotland) in 1873 by

Robert Napier and Sons Messrs Robert Napier and Sons was a famous firm of Clyde shipbuilders and marine engineers at Govan, Glasgow founded by Robert Napier in 1826. It was moved to Govan for more space in 1841. His sons James and John were taken into partnership in ...

. She was built as a two-masted

lighthouse tender A lighthouse tender is a ship specifically designed to maintain, support, or tend to lighthouses or lightvessels, providing supplies, fuel, mail, and transportation. The work is often carried out by ships which also act as buoy tenders. In ...

Lighthouse ship

The ''Meiji Maru'' was used for the Japanese government's lighthouse service.

Imperial voyages

Emperor Meiji , posthumously honored as , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the List of emperors of Japan, traditional order of succession, reigning from 1867 until his death in 1912. His reign is associated with the Meiji Restoration of 1868, which ...

sailed on the ship in 1876, from

Aomori , officially Aomori City (, ), is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 264,945 in 136,781 households, and a population density of 321 people per squa ...

Hakodate is a Cities of Japan, city and seaports of Japan, port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of January 31, 2024, the city had an estimated population of 239,813 with 138,807 househol ...

, and Hakodate to Yokohama. The ship contains a decorated cabin for the sole use of the emperor. In Japan the third Monday in July is ''

Marine Day , also known as "Ocean Day" or "Sea Day", is a public holiday in Japan usually celebrated on the third Monday in July. The purpose of the holiday is to give thanks for the ocean's bounty and to consider the importance of the ocean to Japan as a ...

'', which originally commemorated the emperor's arrival in Yokohama at the end of his journey on the ship.

Tokyo Nautical School

In 1897 it was transferred to the Tokyo Nautical School for use as a moored training ship. The Tokyo Nautical School later became part of the

Refitting

In 1898 she was re-rigged as a full-rigged ship by the Shomei Shipbuilding Company in

Shinagawa is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The Ward refers to itself as Shinagawa City in English. The Ward is home to ten embassies. , the Ward had an estimated population of 380,293 and a population density of 16,510 persons per ...

.Sailing Ships - Meiji Maru
Retrieved 12 November 2015

Museum ship

In 1964 it was moved to the Tokyo University of Mercantile Marine to be preserved as a memorial. An eight-year restoration was completed in 1988.

Notes and references

Museum ships in Japan 1873 ships Ships built in Govan Merchant ships of Japan Training ships of Japan Lighthouse tenders Tall ships of Japan {{ship-stub