Intro to Kure & the Yamato Museum: A Navy Town's Shipbuilding Memory
Once called the finest naval port in the East, the town of Kure built the colossal battleship Yamato. The shipbuilding and steelmaking skills behind it live on in its museums today.
The key to Kure is its two faces: a 'navy town' and a 'town of manufacturing.' We trace its facilities and history in order.
It is also a place that holds memories of war, where quietly facing the historical record is valued.
Learning about a naval-port town
Kure Naval District
A regional body the former navy set up to oversee its naval port. Kure developed as a major hub of shipbuilding and steelmaking, shaping the framework of the town.
Source:呉市公式観光サイト くれとりっぷ
Battleship Yamato
One of the world's largest battleships, built at Kure's shipyard. The technology that enabled its construction was handed down to Japan's postwar shipbuilding industry.
Source:大和ミュージアム（呉市海事歴史科学館）
Yamato Museum
Officially the Kure Maritime History and Science Museum. Centered on a 1/10-scale model of the battleship Yamato, it presents the course of shipbuilding and science and technology.
Source:大和ミュージアム（呉市海事歴史科学館）
Tetsu-no-Kujira-kan (Iron Whale Museum)
The popular name for the JMSDF Kure Museum. You can tour the interior of the real submarine 'Akishio,' and it conveys the history of minesweeping and submarines. Admission is free.
Source:海上自衛隊呉史料館（てつのくじら館）
Shipbuilding and steelmaking
The shipbuilding and steelmaking skills that grew with the naval port continued as Kure's core industries after the war, producing giant tankers and more.
Source:呉市公式観光サイト くれとりっぷ
A Maritime Self-Defense Force town
Still an important JMSDF base, Kure has a harbor scene of moored vessels as everyday life. Boat tours of the ships and naval curry are among the pleasures of a stroll.
Source:呉市公式観光サイト くれとりっぷ
FAQ
How do the Yamato Museum and the JMSDF Kure Museum differ?
The Yamato Museum is Kure City's museum covering the battleship Yamato and shipbuilding technology; the JMSDF Kure Museum is a Self-Defense Force museum displaying a real submarine. They sit next to each other across a road, and many people visit both together.
What food is unique to Kure?
Navy-inspired 'naval curry' and the thin-noodle 'Kure reimen' are well known. Kure is also said to be one of the birthplaces of nikujaga.