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NYK Maritime Museum

Rise and Fall of Japanese Shipping

The NYK Maritime Museum, inaugurated in 2003, is located near the port of Yokohama. The museum introduces the history of the birth of shipping company Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line), as well as the decline and revival of the Japanese shipping industry before and after World War II. The museum has ship models such as the Asama Maru, Kamakura Maru and Hikawa Maru.

The NYK Maritime Museum 日本郵船歴史博物館 is located on the first floor of the Yokohama Yusen Building near Yokohama Port, where the Yokohama branch of the NYK was once located, and was renovated and opened in 2003 as a museum dedicated to the NYK and maritime transport in Japan.

In the middle of the 19th century, after the Commodore Perry’s Arrival, Hakodate, Yokohama, Kobe, and other gateway ports were opened one after another, and the Japanese shipping business grew rapidly, with the Mitsubishi Shokai led by Yataro Iwasaki, was one of the leading companies in Japan’s maritime transport industry. After a life-long struggle with the rival Kyodo Unyu Kaisha, founded by Eiichi Shibusawa, Yataro Iwasaki died, and soon afterward, under the mediation of the government, the Mitsubishi Shokai merged with Kyodo Unyu Kaisha, so NYk, the Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha was formally established in 1885.

Manywhere Trivia:
The price war between Mitsubishi Shokai and Kyodo Unyu Kaisha was fierce: for two years, passenger ferry tickets cost less than a tenth of what they did before the competition.

After the birth of Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha, which once owned several large cruise and cargo ships such as Asama Maru, Kamakura Maru, and Noto Maru, its routes spread all over the world, covering the continents of Europe, Asia, and America. The Asama Maru, known as the Queen of the Sea is a representative of luxury ocean liner ships, with a popular British style interior, including smoking rooms, beauty salons, a post office, a bank, even a photo shop.

After the outbreak of World War II, large ships were requisitioned as aircraft carriers and supply carriers, and most of them ended up sinking in the Pacific Ocean, so the NYK suffered a severe blow. The Hikawa Maru 氷川丸, which was used for medical treatment and rescue, was the only one of the many ships that survived, and it is still docked in Yamashita Park next to Yokohama Port for visitors to board.

Today, The Revived Nippon Yusen Kabushiki is in operation for both passenger and cargo transportation, and can be found in major ports and terminals around the world.