Remembering the Osaka Maritime Museum
Architectural structures help define a city and, in so doing, become iconic landmarks. Sydney has the Opera House; New York, the Empire State Building; and Paris has the Eiffel Tower.
Osaka is home to the Osaka Maritime Museum (なにわの海の時空館), built on the Bay of Osaka. Engineering design was done by Arup and Tohata and the architect was Paul Andreu. The construction of the museum began in 1998 and it opened on July 14, 2000.
The dome of the Osaka Maritime Museum was designed to withstand wave, seismic, and wind loads and it subsequently won a Structural Special Award in 2002 from the Institution of Structural Engineers, U.K. Total cost of construction was about 12.8 billion Yen.
Osaka Maritime Museum walkway. | KENPEI
Osaka Maritime Museum was a magnificent glass dome structure that houses a vast collection of exhibits embodying the history and culture of Osaka. The aim of the museum was to highlight the role of Osaka in the development of the maritime industry and its overall contributions to the world. Osaka was a pioneer in the maritime transportation industry of Japan during the Edo period.
The museum had a replica of the Naniwa Maru, an Edo period trading ship, as its centerpiece. The Naniwa Maru is a 17th-century trade ship or a higaki kaisen. The ship had four floors containing a range of artifacts tracing the development of the sea trade in Osaka and around the globe.
Osaka Maritime Museum Naniwa Maru. | KENPEI
Osaka, the city, played a huge role in Japan’s trading activities, and the museum also gave visitors a chance to discover how the people of Osaka used ships, the sea, and the harbor. There were state-of-the-art theatres and even a yacht simulator for virtual sailing to help enliven the experience. It is unfortunate that the Osaka Maritime Museum closed on March 10 this year due to financial difficulties. But the structure still stands as a testament to the beautiful architectural structure and designs of man. Maybe it will open again.