Kitamae Shipping—Four

An early style of sea chest loosely following land-based “safes” called kakesuzuri.  

Made by Ryohei Kido.  Photo courtesy of Ryohei Kido.

Keep it Safe

These days payments for everyday purchases in cash are becoming more and more of a rarity.  Although slow to be introduced, even in Japan card payments can now be made for more or less anything.  Nevertheless, cash payments, especially with new notes, always seem to have a good deal of kudos.

As it was in most countries, sixty or so years ago in Japan cash was the only way of paying for goods and a trip to a bank was the only way of getting any.  In rural areas in particular cash was quite naturally precious and provision for keeping it safe had to be made.

A simple domestic style of tansu in zelkova wood made by Matsumoto Mingei Kagu, a furniture company which specialises in making both Japanese and western style high quality folkcraft furniture.  (Search: matsumin.com)

Most homes back then had a traditional style of chest or tansu in the house, either for clothes, for food and china or for items of any value.  At least one chest would have been a kind of “safe” in which to keep money under lock and key.  But that was not the only way of protecting money.

Recently a 75 year-old Japanese lady who lived deep in the mountains near Okayama when she was a child, told me how money was kept in a special chest with a hidden compartment.

It was this kind of very carefully engineered cabinetmaking that was essential for a Captain of a Kitamae ship.  He was generally not only the captain of his vessel but also entrusted with money and documents related to his cargo.  When in a port he was a focus of trade and his sea chest or funa-tansu was not only a functional piece of furniture but also a status symbol representative of his social standing.

A ship’s master may have owned the ship he sailed in or was hired by the owner or shipping organisation.  In whichever case the Captain had to be someone who could be trusted.  His sea chest, therefore, ensured a level of confidence with which those who either employed him or traded with him could feel comfortable with.

Hidden compartments, access to which was only known to the Captain, were required to deter any casual thief and to frustrate the more determined villain or pirate.

A very large plank of zelkova wood at a timber auction in Gifu, central Japan.  It measured about six metres in length and over a metre at its widest point.  The plank was about 8 cm thick.  The grain can be very complex and is enhanced by the application of lacquer, which fills the pores.  The whole plank would be sold in one piece and processed according to its application.

Potential buyers gather round the massive boards, which are sold individually, 

either by open auction or by concealed bids.

The sea chests were usually made of zelkova wood—a type of figured hardwood similar to elm—and reinforced with decorative metal fittings.  Keys and catches, sliding panels and hinged doors all played their part in forming secreted compartments designed to house cash or valuable documents.

The exterior and some of the inner surfaces were finished with true lacquer—it served to protect the wood, to enhance the grain and to generally enrich the overall appearance of a chest with its black metal fittings.

Paulownia wood was generally used for inner draws and boxes because of its light weight and ability to absorb moisture.  It is thought, too, that it helped to make one of these sea chests buoyant, sometimes only floating just below the surface and thus avoiding detection.  If a chest was washed overboard and found its way to a shore, it could generally be identified by some mark or other amongst the fittings.

With a sea chest all was safe.  Well, save enough, unless an interested party was willing to run off with one in tact.

Iwayado tansu made in Iwate prefecture in the north of Japan can be very decorative and grand.  This example was made by Fujisato Woodcraft (Search: Iwate.info.co.jp/IwayadoTansu/ )  English site available.

The metalwork of an Iwayado tansu is often very elaborate.

Reference:  TRADITIONAL JAPANESE CABINETRY published by  Weatherhill, Inc. written by Ty and Kiyoko Heineken.  In-depth information on Sea Chests and other types of tansu.

First edition,1981

First paperback edition, 2004

published by  Weatherhill, Inc,41Monroe Turnpike,Trumbull,CT 06611

Unless stated all images by Bill Tingey Photo © Copyright

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Kitamae Shipping—Three

This votive panel shows a Kitamae ship dating from the late nineteenth-century of about 150 tons and with a crew of between 10 to 20.  It also has a jib and spinnaker, which may have been added as a result of influence from the West. Courtesy of Mr. Okizaki Photo © Copyright.

How was the ride?

There is no keel.  In fact at the time the authorities would not allow the ships to be built with a keel.  Would the ship have rolled much?  My senses say “yes” and the notoriously rough waters of the the Japan Sea would not have helped.  As it happens many ships would avoid sailing between November and the following March, when the sea could be very rough, the winds strong and conditions were made worst by heavy falls of snow.  Even today the railway routes along the Japan Sea coast are often the first to suffer delays if not stoppages during the harsh weather conditions of the winter months.

Any other disadvantages were overcome with ingenuity and were at least managed if not actually turned to advantages.  The large ships were anchored off shore and sometimes moored to the coast at hewn mooring holes.  Here is one found by Mr. Okizaki. (Mr. Okizaki Photo © Copyright.)  As mentioned before cargos were off-loaded into smaller boats and rowed through channels to the shallows of the bays where the beaches became “ports”.

An example of a thirteenth-century ship with a facility to have boards beyond the gunwales.  Illustration from Nihon no Fune (Ships and Boats of Japan) published by Fune no Kagaku-kan (Museum of Maritime Science, Tokyo) in 1977.

Incidentally my own studies of traditional architecture have a connection with the Kitamae ships.  The bracketing system at first-floor level or for eaves of some traditional buildings is know as segai-zukuri.  (In the UK extensions of upper floors are known as jetting.)  Although the characters were probably cobbled together at some point in history, they alluded to the way that a boat can be “enlarged” to carry more cargo and yet can still be rowed.  In the simplest method beams are laid across the hull and boards are placed beyond the gunwales.  The Kitamae ship also had decks slightly wider than the hulls, thus making the most of the opportunity of carrying more cargo with an acceptable—I assume—increase in risk of making the ship top heavy.  A marvel of marine engineering then.

An example from a thirteenth-century painting of what is possibly an inland water boat with segai beams and boards.  Note the seated figure beyond the gunwales.  Illustration from Nihon no Fune (Ships and Boats of Japan) published by Fune no Kagaku-kan (Museum of Maritime Science, Tokyo) in 1977.

Examples of eave and first floor segai arrangements for a variety of different traditional building types.  Illustration from Masters Degree Thesis on Segai, Bill Tingey 1980

If you should want to know more about the ships, there is a wealth of information on the Web.  Search Kitamae ships.

Bill Tingey Photo © Copyright unless stated otherwise

Do feel free to pass on the address of this blog to anyone you think will be interested.  Or share it on a social media site.  Should you wish to leave a comment, please do so by clicking on the comment mark at the bottom left of this or any of the other posts.   If you have found this blog interesting, why not become a follower.  Thank you.

Kitamae Shipping—Two

Votive panel of a Kitamae ship at a Shrine in Fukura, on the western coast of the Noto Peninsula. By courtesy of Mr. Okizaki Photo © Copyright.

 Compact and tidy

The success of the shipping route along the Japan Sea coast was a result of a number of advantages and disadvantages.

A glimpses at a map will verify that there are more than 20 main ports at which the Kitamae ships could call.  Even for the larger ships there were safe havens that could be visited in times of need.

About 50 kilometres off the coast from the Noto Peninsula, for example, is Hegura island.  It used to be inhabited throughout the year but now it is mostly a point of departure for the Ama free divers between July and April (See blog Ama—Free Divers 13/12/2015).  In the days of the long-haul sea routes from Shimonoseki in Kyushu to ports in Hokkaido, the island provided a point of rest and a chance to replenish some supplies.

A shrine was built on the island with the idea of providing safe passage for the ships.  Sometimes the Master of a newly built vessel would visit the shrine to pray for the safety of his ship.

The ships themselves were not particularly large, especially when compared to western vessels.  Check the Japanese site:

  https://nippon.zaidan.info/seikabutsu/2002/01046/contents/009.htm

simply to marvel at the compact nature of the design of the ships and the intelligent and careful planning of the way in which they were loaded.  The list below tells you what each of the capital letters stands for in the cut-away drawing.

Outline of Cargo and how it was Stowed (Following Nippon Zaidan diagram key.  Address above.)

Upper Level (Deck), Light Items

A  Rope, matting, rice-straw bags, rowing equipment.

B  Old clothing and light sundry items.

Middle Level

C  Cotton, tobacco and similar goods.

D  Paper and other sundry items.

E  Bolts of cloth and similar items.

F  Salt, sugar and grains.

G  Rice.

Lower Level—Heavy items stowed low down in the hull to lower the centre of gravity of the ship.

H  Vinegar, shoyu (soya), miso, oil and similar items.

I  Ceramic roof tiles.

J  Polished stone fragments (from stone mirrors).

The diagram on this site is of a ship of 240 tons (1600 Koku in Japanese measures), with a crew of between 14 to 20.  There was very little space for anything but the cargo.  In fact the way in which the cargo was loaded is reminiscent of the modern Japanese approach to an industrial design problem—taking up as little space as possible in the most compact way.  Crew?  Well they must have found a corner to rest, sleep and eat.  Modern health and safety laws would no doubt fail such a ship from the outset.

Votive panel of Kitamae ships riding a storm at a Shrine in Fukura, on the western coast of the Noto Peninsula. By courtesy of Mr. Okizaki Photo © Copyright.

Bill Tingey Photo © Copyright unless stated otherwise

Do feel free to pass on the address of this blog to anyone you think will be interested.  Or share it on a social media site.  Should you wish to leave a comment, please do so by clicking on the comment mark at the bottom left of this or any of the other posts.   If you have found this blog interesting, why not become a follower.  Thank you.

Kitamae Shipping

Unknown, Unappreciated

Without a moments hesitation, Mr Okizaki, whom I had only just met, climbed on to sofa opposite where I was sitting.  He was anxious to show me the location of some of the important trading points where ships plying the Japan Sea called on their way to the northern island of Hokkaido.

Although I had noticed the map on the wall I had not fully appreciated that it was rather unusual.  It was not Japan seen from the South.  Instead it was Japan and a large part of the Asian continent seen from the North West and thus focused on the Japan Sea coastline.

Mr Okizaki, a director of a company supplying processed sea foods, had be recommended to me as a very knowledgable person on the subject of the Kitamae trading ships that cursed the Japan Sea coast up until the development of the telegraph and national railway system in the early part of the twentieth-century.

I had not really understood just how important shipping routes were to Japan in the past.  I knew that major land routes such as the Tokaido, so interestingly portrayed by Utagawa Hiroshige, were used but they were not suited to the transportation of any goods in bulk, due to the often steep inclines and narrowness of the routes.  And then there were the bands of marauding lord-less samurai, numerous check points and paperwork to be dealt with. too.

The rock out-crops just off shore made it impossible for a large ship to draw near to off load its cargo.  It had to be done using a small boat that could navigate the narrow channels that were natural or manmade.

Although they had existed before it was not until the later part of the 19th century that the Kitamae shipping routes through the Japan Sea became especially developed.  In fact, sea routes along the Pacific Coast as well as along the Japan Sea had existed since the Edo period, which began in the early part of 17th century.

Catch the fish, fillet the fish and dry the fish.

Goods passed from centres of production and/or consumption in and around the Kansai area focused on Osaka.  Ships would navigate a way through the Inland Sea before making their way along the Japan Sea coast, stopping off to trade at places large and small on the way to Hokkaido.  It was there that they would pick up marine products such as dried seaweed as well as timber.

Admittedly the Pacific coastal route to Hokkaido was also well used.  It was, however, the Japan Sea route with its many trading points that became instrumental in the development of culture as well as trade along the seaboard, especially with the end of the feudal period in 1868.  After this Japan’s industrial development was meteoric and saw the nation beginning to take its place on the world stage for the first time..

Until relatively recently, I really had not appreciated the importance of the Kitamae trading routes.  So this is only the beginning of the story.

Bill Tingey Photo © Copyright

Do feel free to pass on the address of this blog to anyone you think will be interested.  Or share it on a social media site.  Should you wish to leave a comment, please do so by clicking on the comment mark at the bottom left of this or any of the other posts.   If you have found this blog interesting, why not become a follower.  Thank you.