Exhibition Room 3

Exhibition Room 3 explores how the history of Shimizu Port is deeply rooted in Japan’s long-standing wood culture. Because traditional Japanese architecture and ships depended heavily on timber, timber was among the nation’s most vital resources. In the age of the samurai, when Edo (present-day Tokyo) was devastated by great fires, lumber shipped from Shimizu helped rebuild the city. Further inside the port, the calm waters of Orido Bay once accommodated vast floating log ponds where felled timber was stored; traces of these ponds remain visible today. Over time, sawmills were established around Shimizu Port, and skilled artisans gathered in the Shizuoka area, fostering the development of traditional woodworking crafts. As a result, the area became known for the production of fine furniture, lacquerware, and geta, a type of traditional wooden footwear. Along the shores of Suruga Bay, where Shimizu Port is located, craftsmen once built wasen—Japan’s traditional wooden vessels. In this section of the gallery, you will find meticulously crafted scale reconstructions, specialized tools used in the construction of wasen, and a wooden shipboard strongbox that could double as an improvised flotation device in an emergency. During the era of sakoku (maritime seclusion), trans-Pacific voyages were rarely contemplated; consequently, designers of wooden vessels prioritized cargo capacity and rapid loading for sheltered inland and coastal routes, rather than durability on the open ocean. Representative craft on display include cargo vessels, naval vessels, and the elegant gozabune that the shoguns used for travel and leisure. We invite you to examine their hulls, joinery, and fittings, and to experience the ingenuity with which these wooden vessels traversed Japan’s waterways, transporting people, goods, and culture alike. Through these exhibits, we hope you will appreciate how industry, landscape, and creativity converge where sea and timber meet.