Sailing Performance of "Naniwa-muru", Reconstruction of a Japanese Sailing Trader in Early 1800's

Abstract

Since this type of sailing trader is a symbol of the prosperity of Osaka in Edo era, there is a good reason for the City of Osaka to reconstruct one in full-scale as a memorial. We took this opportunity to sail her to investigate the sailing performance of this remarkable vessel of genuine Japanese heritage some two hundred years back. The ship sailed to weather as high as 75° in her actual track with quite a good speed. This convinced us that they were the first real sailing trader in the history of Japan and fulfilled the great demand for carrying commodities in that era.