Japan’s Naval Academy: Historic Grandeur and Museum
The island of Etajima can be reached by a ten-minute ferry ride from the terminal in the port city of Kure, Japan. This is the site of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) First Service School and Officer Candidate School, until 1945 home to the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy. Among the buildings of principal architectural interest at this alma mater of World War II Japanese naval leadership are the 1893 Officer Candidate School and 1917 Ceremonial Hall. But the highlight of the visit is the Museum of Naval History.
Built in 1936 with donations from former graduates and various companies, and designed by premier architect Toshiro Yamashita, the museum was created to preserve naval history and traditions. Displays focus more on people than battles or technology, emphasizing notables such as Heihachiro Togo, the victor at Tsushima during the Russo-Japanese War; and Isoroku Yamamoto, architect of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.
One of the most interesting exhibits is the journal of Lieutenant Tsutomu Sakuma (class of 1901), whose submarine sank during a practice dive in 1910. Despite the realization that he and his crew were doomed, Sakuma calmly penned a detailed account of the accident, hoping that lessons learned from it might inform the design of future submarines. He began by apologizing to the emperor for the loss of one of His Imperial Majesty’s boats and the men under his command.
The organization is mostly chronological, starting with the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate and traversing the first Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War, and World War I, before moving on to World War II. Coverage of the Pacific war is desultory at best. Although space is given to Japanese defeats at Midway and the Marianas and the sinking of the Yamato, most of the major naval operations—whether victories or defeats—are glossed over or not mentioned at all. While one might be inclined to excuse this oversight as the result of only halfhearted attempts to update the museum in the aftermath of Japan’s most ignominious defeat, it is not the omissions but the inclusions that draw the visitor’s attention.
More than half the space devoted to World War II deals not with IJN leadership or major combat operations, but with “special attack” (suicide) units and weapons and midget submarines such as those that attacked Pearl Harbor, Sydney Harbor, and Madagascar. Two of the submarines are on display outside the museum. Two entire rooms are devoted to honoring not only the young men who gave their lives in suicide missions—the kaiten “human torpedo” and kamikaze plane pilots—but also the admirals who devised and promoted the tactics.
Within the exhibits, there is no chronology explaining how these suicide tactics developed, nor is there an unbiased evaluation of their effects on Allied operations, nor an attempt to contextualize them within a moral or legal framework such as the commonly accepted laws of war. The sole purpose of this display, which consists mostly of photographs of the pilots and submariners and their last letters home, appears to be veneration.
Visitors also may stroll along the shore and admire historic artifacts, including the turret from Mutsu, the most powerful battleship in the Imperial Japanese Navy before the completion of Yamato. And they might be treated to the sight of contemporary cadets practicing seamanship drills.
The Officer Candidate School, designed by English architect John Diack and built from red bricks shipped from the United Kingdom, was the original students’ hall. The grandiose white-granite Ceremonial Hall is still used today for entrance ceremonies and graduations. Since the Naval Academy was not bombed during World War II, these buildings retain their old stately charm and beauty.
Access to JMSDF Etajima, a five-minute bus ride from the ferry terminal, is granted only at tour times, which occur thrice daily on weekdays and four times a day on weekends. The tour takes about 90 minutes and is conducted in Japanese, unless you have made advance arrangements for English. If not, the guards at the front gate can provide guidebooks in English.
Very few of the displays are in English. This should not discourage visitors, because strolling the grounds of Etajima is like touring Annapolis: It is alive with tradition. Neither the splendor of the architecture nor the seaside views require translation. Moreover the tour is free, so it’s hard to argue that it’s not a good value.
JMSDF First Service School
Etajima, Hiroshima, Japan 737-2195; [email protected] Tel.: 81-823-42-1211 ext.2016
Open Mon.–Thurs. 1030–1630; Sat., Sun., & national holidays 1000–1630
Guided tours (in English with advance arrangements)
Admission free