01 : Representative Japanese wooden cargo vessels of the Edo period

This section introduces representative cargo vessels of the Edo period. The most common type was the higaki-kaisen—named for the diagonal lozenge-lattice (hishigaki) pattern along its hull sides—which served as the standard workhorse for coastal freight along Japan’s Pacific seaboard. From this type evolved the taru-kaisen, traditionally attributed to Osaka. To transport liquids and semi-liquids such as sake, soy sauce, and miso, open buckets were fitted with lids to form barrels; by standardizing barrel dimensions so they could be stowed in orderly tiers, hulls and fittings were adapted to the new, uniform cargo. In effect, the taru-kaisen was a higaki-kaisen reconfigured for standardized loads. The underlying logic anticipates modern containerization: although the container ship itself was developed in the United States, the taru-kaisen had already realized the efficiencies of unitized cargo. The scale models and accompanying diagrams invite a close look at the practical ingenuity that animated Edo-period maritime logistics.

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