Yamato Museum Kure Hiroshima

Yamato Museum 大和ミュージアム

• History
• Exhibits
• Access
• Hiroshima Museums

The Yamato Museum, Hiroshima Prefecture

Scale replica of the Yamato at the Yamato Museum, Kure

The Yamato Museum in Kure, Hiroshima is located right across the road from the JMSDF Kure Museum.

The museum is an excellent introduction to the history of the Japanese Navy during World War II.

History

When launched in 1940, the battleship Yamato was the biggest warship in the world.

It was 263 meters long, with a displacement of 65,000 tonnes. The huge ship had numerous unique and innovative features. These included the biggest naval guns in the world that fired 1.36 tonne shells from its 18.1 inch barrels

However, the vessel was also largely obsolete as the day of the battleship had passed to be replaced by aircraft carrier groups.

The Yamato saw very little action, and was sunk by U.S. Navy aircraft in April 1945 on its final mission, a suicide action to defend Okinawa from American invasion that cost the lives of almost all its full complement of 3,000 crew.

In 2005 the movie "Yamato" (Otoko-tachi no Yamato in Japanese) was released and was very popular. Like almost all Japanese World War II movies it focused on the suffering and sacrifice of Japanese, and not on their victims.

In April 2005, on the anniversary of the sinking of the Yamato, a new museum opened in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, once the largest naval shipyard in the Orient, and where the Yamato was built.

Type 95 torpedo at The Yamato Museum; Hiroshima

The Yamato Museum, Hiroshima Prefecture

Exhibits

Outside the museum are artifacts taken from the wreck after it was discovered in 1985, including one of the huge guns and a propeller, but the centerpiece of the museum is a 1:10 scale model of the battleship.

At 26 meters in length, it is impressive, and cost 200 million yen, being built by the same company that built the original.

The museum also has displays on the history of shipbuilding in Kure, a floor of mainly interactive displays on the science and technology of ships, a room including a 2-man kamikaze sub, a Mitsubishi Zero, and other war materials.

Access - how to get to the Yamato Museum, Hiroshima

Kure-shi Kaiji Rekishi Kagakukan

5-20, Takaramachi, Kure City

Hiroshima, 737-0029

Tel: 0823 25 3017

www.yamato-museum.com

The Yamato Museum is a 5 minute walk from JR Kure Station, which is 32 minutes from Hiroshima Station on a JR Kure Line Rapid Liner.

Furthermore, the museum is one minute on foot from Kure Chuo Sanbashi ferry terminal. It is also approximately 45 minutes by bus from Hiroshima Bus Center.

Closed on Tuesdays, entrance is 500 yen for adults. Hours are 9 am-6 pm.

Adjacent to the Yamato Museum is the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force Museum. Entrance is free, and the highlight is entering the Akishio, a 76 meter long Yushio Class submarine built in 1985.

Other places of interest in Hiroshima include Hiroshima Castle, the Mazda Museum, Hiroshima Museum of Art and Hiroshima Children's Museum.

The Yamato Museum; scale model of the huge ship

Inside the museum

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