Kure City Japan Heritage Naval Base Yokosuka, Kure, Sasebo, Maizuru ~A city where you can experience the dynamism of Japan's modernization~

In 1886, it was decided to establish the Kure Naval District, and an elegant two-story Western-style building was constructed on Irifuneyama, but it collapsed in the Geiyo earthquake of 1905, and was rebuilt in the same year as the current one-story building in a Japanese-Western hybrid style. Dismantling and restoration work was carried out over a period of three years from 1992, and the gorgeous beauty of the gold-and-white paper that was used at the time of construction has been restored to the interior walls of the Western-style building.

The approximately 10m-tall tower clock was installed on the roof of the former Kure Naval Arsenal Machinery Department in 1921 and continued to keep time along with the arsenal until the end of the war. It is a valuable piece that is said to be the oldest electric parent-child impulse clock made in Japan.

This house was relocated to Irifuneyama Park from the detached mansion where Heihachiro Togo, who was stationed in Kure as the Chief of Staff of the Kure Naval District, lived for one year and eight months from May 1890. The breeze blowing through the rooms and veranda gives a sense of the brief moments of relaxation Heihachiro Togo spent there.

The construction plan for Kure Naval Base is believed to have been created in Tokyo around 1886 based on survey data from Kure. This drawing is a valuable document that supports the Navy's planned intention to develop a naval port city.

It was relocated and restored from the site of the Takao Battery, which was built by the Japanese Army in 1902. Gunpowder magazines made entirely of stone are rare nationwide, and their stately construction speaks to the high level of technology at the time.

The former Kure Naval District Office Building, which boasts a stately and beautiful design, was completed in 1907. With a central dome and a combination of brick and granite, this modern Western-style building demonstrates the high level of technology at the time. In addition, various underground facilities remain, telling the history of the naval district in Kure.
It is a representative structure that commemorates the naval base town of Kure, and is currently being used and valued as the first office building of the Kure District Headquarters.

* Visits are only available on the first and third Sundays of every month. Advance reservations are required. For details, contact the Public Relations Promotion Office of the Kure District Headquarters of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (Tel: 0823-22-5511, extensions 2702 and 2259).

In the park, which was developed in 1982, you can see the "Shipbuilding and Dock Monument," which recreates the stairs leading down to the bottom of the dock using wall stones from the former Kure Naval Arsenal, the "Kure Naval Arsenal Memorial Tower," which combines the foundation stones and nameplates of the former Kure Naval Arsenal, and the "Ah, Battleship Yamato Tower," which imitates the bridge of the battleship Yamato, as well as displays of armor-piercing shells from the Yamato's main gun. Standing here, you can get a real feel for the history of Kure since the Meiji period, when it has progressed from a military port to a peaceful industrial port city.

From the hill with a view of history in Miyahara 5-chome, you can get a close-up look at the large roof of the Japan Marine United Corporation Kure Works (formerly the Kure Naval Arsenal Shipbuilding Department Shipbuilding Dock), where the battleship Yamato was built, as well as the large roofs of related facilities in the area. You can also get a panoramic view of Kure city and Kure Bay, where many ships pass by, and at dusk, the sun setting behind the mountains of Etajima on the opposite shore beautifully illuminates the cranes of the shipyard, creating a truly moving sight.

*As this is a private facility, the interior cannot be toured, but you can view the exterior from History View Hill.

Former Kure Naval Arsenal Headquarters Embankment

The approximately 300m-long granite cut stone embankment, built in 1895, remains in its original state. The stone steps, skillfully crafted to withstand wave erosion, and the flat pier with metal fasteners fastened to the cut stones, are a testament to the advanced civil engineering technology of the time that the embankment conveys, and are also worth seeing.

Torpedo loading crane

A British-made 15-ton crane that was installed in 1901 (Meiji 34) for loading and unloading torpedoes remains at the southern end of the seawall. The surrounding area has been developed as a park where you can see the submarine up close, and you can look back on history while admiring the impressive scenery.

This area, where the Kure Naval Arsenal was once located, was a top-secret area. The "brick warehouse" built in the 1890s was used as a product storage area and gun storehouse, but some of the buildings were damaged in air raids. After the war, a private company purchased it from the government and repaired it, and it is still used as a warehouse today, exuding the charm of those days.

*Only the exterior can be viewed.

In the past, this place was the site of a facility that trained skilled engineers known as "gi-tes," who could be said to be the foundation of the "town of manufacturing, Kure." Today, a monument has been erected to communicate this history, and valuable remains remain in the surrounding area, including the remains of an air raid observation post and pillboxes (concrete defensive positions).

This museum introduces the history of Kure City, which has been at the forefront of Japanese industrial technology since the Meiji era, and the science and technology that formed the foundation of that history, such as shipbuilding and aircraft, while touching on the lifestyle and culture of the time. It also displays large-scale materials such as a 1/10 scale model of the battleship Yamato, which was built at the Kure Naval Arsenal, the A6M Zero fighter plane, and the Kaiten human torpedo.

The former naval cemetery, located on a hill in Nagasako-cho overlooking the city of Kure, was opened in 1890 as a burial ground for naval personnel who died in the line of duty, and was developed into a park after being handed over by the national government in 1986. Within the park, there are numerous commemorative monuments, including gravestones erected before the war and a monument to those killed in action by the Battleship Yamato.

This water tank, constructed in 1890, has a red brick roof and side walls. It is a valuable facility for learning about the early days of Japan's modern water supply and has been designated a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property.

*Nationally registered tangible cultural property *As it is located inside the water purification plant, it is not open to the public, but it can be viewed from outside the plant.

This intake, completed in time for the opening of the Kure Naval District in 1889, is the third oldest modern waterworks after Yokohama and Hakodate. The dignity of its imposing granite structure has not faded even after more than 120 years, and is a testament to the high level of skill of the stonemasons at the time.

This dam, completed in 1918 as a reservoir for the Kure Naval District Waterworks, is a gravity concrete structure 97m long, 25m high, and has a total storage capacity of 1.96 million cubic meters, making it the largest in the Orient at the time of its completion. In 1999, the dam, the round well, the stairs, and the first water supply well were designated as National Important Cultural Properties, the first active waterworks facilities in Japan.

*As this is a water facility that is still in operation, it is usually not open to the public, but it is open to the public during the cherry blossom season.

In 1901, the Imperial Japanese Army built a battery equipped with six 28cm howitzers on Takaodai, 218m above sea level, to prevent the invasion of foreign ships. The foundations of the battery, part of the ammunition storehouse, and remains of the barracks still remain, retaining their splendid appearance, even after more than 100 years.

The Ozorayama Battery, completed in 1903 (Meiji 36), was built to protect Kure from enemy forces that landed and attacked from behind. During World War II, it was used as an anti-aircraft gun base. The remains of the gun emplacements and ammunition storehouse remain, and you can feel the high level of skill and planning ability of modern civil engineering and construction.

This brick building was constructed in 1914. The main structure and exterior of the building retain their original design, and the structure conveys the history of Kure's development and dynamism as the Navy's number one manufacturing plant.

*Normally, it is not possible to tour the inside of the building.

In the mornings and evenings, the national anthem "Kimigayo" is sounded through the harbor in sync with the raising and lowering of the national flag and the Self-Defense Force ensign on board ships.
When the sun sets and paints the ocean orange, the sound of trumpets echoing through Alley Karasukojima, where you can get a close-up look at submarines, will transport you back in time to the atmosphere of the past.

Located on the eastern edge of Kurahashi Island in the southern part of Kure City, this is the site of the firing test site where the cannons of the battleship Yamato were tested. Remains of the measuring station, inspection station, pier, and other structures built as a naval fortress area remain.

In 1900, the Navy established a cannon firing test site (Kamegakubi Firing Site) on Kurahashi Island. The Kamegakubi Firing Site played an important role in realizing the domestic production of weapons, especially large-caliber cannons, and tests of the 46-cm cannon mounted on the Yamato-class battleships were also conducted there.

Kure City Tourist Information Center: 0823-23-7845