Exhibition Room 2

Exhibition Room 2 examines the industrial development of Shimizu Port, as well as the often-unexpected ways in which commerce and design have intersected throughout its history. This section begins with green tea. In the late Edo period, around 150 years ago, Shimizu Port flourished as an export hub for green tea produced in Shizuoka. The vividly illustrated labels on display, resembling ukiyo-e woodblock prints, are known as ranji—paper labels that merchants affixed directly to tea chests intended for export. These ranji were created by woodblock artisans who inherited the techniques of ukiyo-e masters. In this sense, ranji represent a later development of ukiyo-e, which exerted a significant influence on Western art. The term ranji is derived from “Oranda,” the Japanese word for the Netherlands, one of Japan’s principal trading partners at the time. Near the entrance stands an iron tool called a tegake (hand hook), once indispensable at the wharves for handling frozen tuna and blocks of ice. Its distinctive silhouette is echoed in door handles, lamp fixtures, and other details throughout the gallery. Authentic hanten work coats worn by dockworkers hang along the wall; the bold characters on the back and collar identify each worker’s company or union. Even today, these coats are cherished as symbols of local pride and are worn during festivals. Proceeding further into the gallery, you can trace the port’s modernization through historical photographs and scale models. A highlight is the telpher conveyor crane—an elevated system once essential for loading and unloading cargo. The sole surviving example in Japan, now designated a Cultural Property, is preserved at S-Pulse Dream Plaza, just outside the museum. Because Shimizu Port has long prized aesthetic harmony as much as commercial success, its waterfront district follows the “Shimizu Port Color Plan.” Under this scheme, buildings are painted white, light blue, and green so that they blend seamlessly with the surrounding sea and mountains. Within this gallery, anchors, tegaki hand hooks, and the sweeping lines of ship hulls are subtly incorporated into the exhibits and interior details. These motifs remind us that local industry has consistently inspired design, and that every tea chest, crane, and hanten work coat embodies a narrative worth uncovering. Taken together, the displays deepen your understanding of how industry, landscape, and creativity converge at Shimizu Port.