The is the nickname of the in

Kure is a port and major shipbuilding city situated on the Seto Inland Sea in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. With a strong industrial and naval heritage, Kure hosts the second-oldest naval dockyard in Japan and remains an important base for the Japan M ...

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui h ...

, Japan.

History

The museum opened on April 23, 2005. It is nicknamed the Yamato Museum due to the display in the lobby of a 1/10 scale model of the battleship ''Yamato'', the flagship of the

Japanese Combined Fleet The was the main sea-going component of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Until 1933, the Combined Fleet was not a permanent organization, but a temporary force formed for the duration of a conflict or major naval maneuvers from various units norm ...

in World War II. It was sunk south of the Japanese island of

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...

in 1945. The museum is located where the battleship was completed.

Museum

Imperial Japanese navy ammunition for warships

Exhibition rooms

*Yamato Hiroba – 1/10 scale of the *History of Kure – as the

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

city and the

Kure Naval District was the second of four main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included the Seto Inland Sea, Inland Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coasts of southern Honshū from Wakayama prefecture, Wakayam ...

*Large objects exhibition room - containing a

Mitsubishi A6M Zero The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" is a long-range carrier-based aircraft, carrier-based fighter aircraft formerly manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 19 ...

model 62, a

Kaiten were crewed torpedoes and suicide craft, used by the Imperial Japanese Navy in the final stages of World War II. History In recognition of the unfavorable progress of the war, towards the end of 1943 the Japanese high command considered s ...

human torpedo and a

Kairyū-class submarine The was a class of midget submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy, designed in 1943–1944, and produced from the beginning of 1945. These submarines were meant to meet the invading American naval forces upon their anticipated approach of Tok ...

*1:1 replica of one of the battleship Kongō's boilers. *Chibi Yamato replica *Collection of suicide notes from Kaiten pilots, as well as sword, will and photographs. *

Type 93 torpedo The was a -diameter torpedo of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), launched from surface ships. It is commonly referred to as the Long Lance by most modern English-language naval historians, a nickname given to it after the war by Samuel Eliot Mori ...

*16 inch shells and shell replicas for the Mutsu and Nagato *18 inch shells and shell replicas for the Yamato and Musashi (and the converted Shinano) *Shipbuilding technology, including simulator, bouncy display device and cargo ship replica bow *The Yamato in culture, references many anime and movies in particular the "

Space Battleship Yamato is a Japanese science fiction anime series produced and written by Yoshinobu Nishizaki, directed by manga artist Leiji Matsumoto, and produced by Academy Productions. The series aired in Yomiuri TV from October 6, 1974 to March 30, 1975, ...

" series *Yamato theatre, which shows many films related to the IJN every day. *1:1 scale replica of the Yamato's bridge (not on display any more) *Future prospects

Other rooms

The museum includes an experiment work room, library, citizens' gallery, meeting rooms, and gift shop, and an observation terrace on the 4th floor where people can view the area.

Outside

Outside the museum there is a brick park, a lawn plaza, and Yamato Wharf. The Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force Kure Museum, which includes the retired JMSDF Yūshio-class submarine

Akishio (SS-579) ''Akishio'' (SS-579) is a retired Japanese diesel-electric . She was laid down in 1983, launched in 1985, commissioned in 1986, and served until 2004. She served as part of both the 1st and 5th Submarine Squadrons of the 1st Submarine Flotilla ...

and a rudder and screw of the

Japanese Battleship Mutsu ''Mutsu'' (陸奥) was the second and last dreadnought battleship built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) at the end of World War I. It was named after the province. In 1923 she carried supplies for the survivors of the Great Kantō earth ...

is located next to the Yamato Museum.

''Yamato'' wreckage

The sunken ''Yamato'' was surveyed previously, but in May 2015, digital technology was used for the first time. The footage shows many identifiable parts of the wreckage, such as the chrysanthemum crest on the bow, one of the -diameter propellers, and a detached main gun turret. The museum plans to show the nine-minute video repeatedly in its theater.

Museum partnership

In 2015, the museum announced that it had entered into a sister museum partnership with the ''USS Missouri'' Memorial Association in

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...

, Hawaii. The agreement commemorates the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Access

* JR

Kure Station is a JR West railway station on the Kure Line, located in Kure, Hiroshima, Japan. History *Opened as a station of the Japan National Railways on December 27, 1903 *Lent to the Sanyo Railway on December 1, 1904. *Sanyo Railway was nationalized ...

*Kure City bus "Youmetown Yamato Museum-mae"

bus stop A bus stop is a place where buses stop for passengers to get on and off the bus. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage, where stops at busy locations may have shelters, seating, and possibly electronic passenger ...

Kure Port is a port and major shipbuilding city situated on the Seto Inland Sea in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. With a strong industrial and naval heritage, Kure hosts the second-oldest naval dockyard in Japan and remains an important base for the Japan M ...

References

External links

*
Yamato Museum
(homepage, in English)
Recreated battleship bridge on display at Yamato Museum
- ''Asahi Shimbun, July 27, 2013'' {{Authority control Museums established in 2005 Maritime museums in Japan Military and war museums in Japan Museums in Hiroshima Prefecture 2005 establishments in Japan Kure, Hiroshima