Japan today is known as a great maritime nation. This is however a rather recent development. In examining history one is led to the conclusion that until the late 19th century, Japan was a agricultural nation with little or no dependence on foreign trade. For 250 years under the rule of the Shoguns the country looked inward and rejected all contact with other nations. What little trade existed was strictly regulated. Although always connected to the sea for food and salt, until the modern "opening" of Japan, her shipping activities were limited to coastal trade. When Admiral Perry's squadron anchored in Edo Bay it marked the beginning of a transformation.

Perry's ships were a cultural shock. These "Black Ships" were the first steamships the Japanese had seen and their presence announced that the oceans could no longer be regarded as a protective wall from the world. It was apparent that in her isolation Japan had fallen behind in technology and simply ordering larger ships to re-enter trade was not the answer. The Shogunate reacted swiftly to try and shore up the political damage by opening up several trading concessions and importing machinery, weapons, and warships to catch up with the west. The trade agreements were initially somewhat one-sided and though agricultural products such as raw silk and tea were effective bartering items, the domestic economy was severely impacted; particularly by the inflationary effect of the inflow of Mexican silver. The volume of imports and exports expanded rapidly, but with inflation, the farmers and working classes were forced into poverty. This produced support for the "Sonno Joi" (revere the Emperor) movement. Age old antagonisms and economic hardships produced resentments that were skillfully directed against the central government by the influential fiefdoms of southwestern Japan, chiefly the Satsuma and Choshu clans. In the resulting civil war the Tokogawa Shogunate was overthrown and the Emperor was restored as the literal as well as spiritual ruler of Japan.

With the ascension of the Emperor (the Meiji restoration of 1868) the new government continued the policies of the Shogunate. Its primary task was "to catch up with the West". Measures were set in motion that abolished the remaining feudal systems that stood in the way of progress and encouraged transplanting of western industries and technology in Japan. By the 1880s a new problem arose. In a country, without rail or highway networkts, coastal shipping was the traditional link in moving materials. The coastal trade was falling under the control of foreign shipping companies, with less than 20% of the goods moving in Japanese hulls. The Government focused attention on the problem by two methods, the support of private firms with gifts of government owned ships and subsidies, and the formation of new companies which were then turned over to private managers. The NYK (Nippon Yusan Kaisha) is a prominent example of a government created and sponsored company established in this period. The government gradually modified its policies by only providing subsidies on a fixed amount basis, thus forcing companies to develop on their own rather than remaining dependent.

The OSK Line (Osaka Shosen Kaisha) was formed in 1884. As foreign competition in the coastal trade was beaten back, many small ship owners began a fierce competition for segments of the lucrative trade. There was an excess of tonnage and competition took the form of ruinous rate wars driving many small owners to the verge of bankruptry. The Osaka prefectural government urged ship owners to conclude a trade agreement but this did not solve the problem. Finally a group of Osaka business men and ship owners persuaded other owners to give up their independence and form a larger company to better their trade position. OSK was thus created bv assets of 55 ship owners with 93 ships totaling 15,400 grt. (gross registered tons). Most were small and were made of wood After the most unsuitable vessels were discarded a total of 64 ships were ready for service. OSK still faced competition from those owners that did not join the group. However, by eliminating overlapping routes and forming a pool with other companies, rates were stabilized and the company could move forward. Government subsidies were then granted with the provision that the fleet be modernized. The first iron ships, and later steel ships, were built. OSK remained an independent company that received government help but did not enjoy the guarantees that supported the competing NYK Line and the Mitsubishi Kaisha.

The British merchant marine had dominated world shipping in the 19th century. By the turn of the century British flag service in the Far East began a slow decline that was paralleled by the emergence of Japan as the first Asian international shipping power. This process was accelerated by the outbreak of war in Europe in 1914. British ships were withdrawn for the needs of the war and the void was filled by a rapidly expanding Japanese merchant marine. This is illustrated very well in looking at percentages of Japanese trade shipments during this period. In 1900 Japanese flag ships carried 37 percent of the trade, up from 10 percent in 1890. By 1914, 57 percent of all Japanese goods traveled in Japanese ships. Part of this growth was the result of a new policy whereby the government no longer protected the Mitsubishi Kaisha from competition nor guaranteed the profits for the NYK. Instead a policy was put into effect to support the entire industry, by granting subsidies for new ship construction, and subsidies for ships on a ton per mile basis for iron and steel hulled ships less than 15 years old, over 1000 tons, and with a speed of over 10 knots. The result was to encourage owners to modernize. In company with other shipping companies, the OSK line expanded dramatically. Tonnage increased from 30,000 in 1896 to 331,843 grt. by 1919. By 1941 the OSK Line owned ships totaling 557,126 grt. On the eve of the Pacific War OSK was the largest Japanese shipping company in numbers of ships, with only the NYK Line comparable in size. Routes were world wide, with particular emphasis on Australia, New York and South American ports.

Like their contemporaries at NYK, prior to the war OSK operated several large passenger liners, including some of the most glamorous to sail the Pacific, such as the RIO DE JANEIRO MARU (released in 1/700 by Wave-Line). The majority of the OSK fleet of over 100 ships was composed of freighters. Most of these were fast and modern ships. Built in series, what they lacked in glamour, they made up for in efficiency. The foundation of the company success rested not so much with the famous liner flagships but rather with the far more numerous cadre of modern cargo vessels Almost all of these ships were destroyed in the war.

Today the Mitsui-OSK Line is a major player in the shipping industry. The company is the result of a 1964 merger of the OSK Line and Mitsui (Mitsubishi Kasha) each having a history of over 100 years of operations. OSK was the largest Japanese shipping company in WWII and Mitsui the third largest (after the NYK Line). In 1975 at their peak of operations the total fleet numbered 127 vessels of all types for a total of 4,158,233 grt. Currently Mitsui-OSK operates 78 vessels of various types totaling 3,390,361 grt.

1/700 Scale Drawing