was a

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-ste ...

of the Tokugawa Navy, and Japan's first domestically-built steam warship (Japan's first steamship was the built by the fief of

Satsuma Satsuma may refer to: * Satsuma (fruit), a citrus fruit * ''Satsuma'' (gastropod), a genus of land snails Places Japan * Satsuma, Kagoshima, a Japanese town * Satsuma District, Kagoshima, a district in Kagoshima Prefecture * Satsuma Domain, a sou ...

in 1855). She was a 3rd class wooden gunboat and laid down May 7, 1861, and launched July 2, 1863 by the shipbuilder, and future industrial giant, Ishikawajima. Completed in May 1866, She participated in the conflict of the Boshin War with the

Bakufu , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakura ...

loyalists, against the newly formed Imperial Army. She was captured during the Naval Battle of Hakodate Bay, and was grounded during the conflict. In May 1868 she was seized by the Japanese government, then captured by the rebels on 4 October 1868. Recaptured again by the Japanese government on 30 April 1869, she became a training ship until she was decommissioned on 28 January 1888. Afterwards she served as a

whaling ship A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales. Terminology The term ''whaler'' is mostly historic. A handful of nations continue with industrial whaling, and one, Jap ...

until 1911, after which time she was broken up (scrapped).

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Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chiyodagata Gunboats of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1863 ships Ships of the Tokugawa Navy