Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Sado Shipbuilding Museum, Ogi





Pictured is a reconstruction of a sengokubune, a large Japanese sailing vessel (the mast is shown at bottom).  Gold mined on Sado was a major source of revenue for the Tokugawa shogunate, and sengokubune were used to transport the precious metal to the mainland for its final, overland ourney to Edo. This particular vessel, called the Hakusan Maru, is on display in Ogi at the shipbuilding museum, which is attached to a larger Sado folk culture museum housed in a former elementary school. I arrived late in the day and hadn't the time to do its exhibits justice.  If you ever visit Sado Island, make sure a stop is on your itinerary, and give yourself a couple of hours for the complete tour.   

No comments: