Call Number:

Ms. Codex 2223

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts

Extent:

1 volume(s)

Language:

English and Japanese

Preferred Citation:

Japanese Navy training notebook, circa 1931-1932, Ms. Codex 2223, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania

Date:

circa. 1931-1932 (inclusive)

Creator:

Aihara, Jirō

Form:

notes (documents)

Abstract:

This volume contains notes taken in the early 1930s by Jirō Aihara about training on the Kaiwo Maru (海王丸), a Japanese training barque (練習船) (ship) launched in 1930.

This volume contains the notes by Jirō Aihara about training on the Kaiwo Maru (海王丸), a Japanese training barque (練習船)(ship) that was built by Kawasaki zōsenjo (川崎造船所) and launched in 1930. The ship was operated by the Tokyo Institute for Maritime Training to train officers for Japan's merchant marine. During World War II the ship's sails were removed and it served as a training and postwar transport motorship. The sails were reinstalled in 1955, the same year it appeared in the movie Around the World in 80 Days . It went back to serving as a training ship until 1989 when it was retired and replaced by a ship of the same name. At maximum capacity the Kaiwo Maru(海王丸) could have 27 officers, 48 sailors, and 120 trainees aboard.

Nothing is known about this volumes creator, Jirō Aihara, other than that he was presumably a soldier in the Japanese Navy who trained on the Kaiwo Maru (海王丸).

This volume contains notes by Jirō Aihara about the training on the Kaiwo Maru (海王丸), a Japanese barque (練習船)(ship) during the early 1930s.

The volume is bound in black cloth with gold embossed Japanese characters on the front cover. There is some damage to the black cloth but the binding is in good condition.

The volume is written in both Japanese (p. 4, 6-9, 39-41, 81, 83-96, 109-157) and English (p. 31-80). The processor is only fluent in English so the notes in Japanese are not included in this description. Sections of the volume are also blank (p. 10-30, 97-103, 158-162, 172-175).

The notes in English are on specific elements of maintaining a ship including "bending and unbending sails" (p. 32-34), "tacking" (p. 37-38), "buoys and beacons" (p. 43-55), and "responding to distress signals" (p. 74-77). There are also numerous pages of hand-written notes in Japanese (p. 83-96, 109-157). There are two detailed hand drawn maps of Japan and Tokyo Bay (p. 163-164).

This volume provides information about what trainees in one part of Japan's Navy (海軍) were being taught in the 1930s.