The Panama Canal was completed in 1914.
Through this canal, the two Oceans, the Atlantic and the Pacific were connected
for the first time.
Ships from Europe sailed for Asia.
The big port-towns in Japan were waiting for the western ships to come
in. To which port would the first ship come?
Kobe? Yokohama? Tokyo?
No. The first port which received a ship from Panama was this small port
Karatsu. |
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Panama Canal |
The ship was the SS Bolton Castle, a cargo ship of England.
The second ship also came into Karatsu. |
This picture is believed to be Bolton Castle passing Panama Canal |
Japanese people were really surprised.
Why Karatsu?
The port of Karatsu was just a small port, and the city of Karatsu was
also a small, less attractive country town. |
Picture post card of Karatsu Port at that time |
What is there to attract foreign ships?
The answer is the "coal". |
Railway was made to carry the coal to the port of Karatsu. |
At that time the port of Karatsu was shipping out much coal to everywhere
in Japan, also even to Asia.
The ships needed coal, and also the location of Karatsu, being near to
other Asian ports, must have attracted them to come into this small port. |
Karatsu located near to China and Korea |
In 2014, Karatsu celebrated the 100 years anniversary since the Bolton
Castle came.
A monument was made at the port.
At the same time, Mr. Iwasaki made the model of Bolton Castle, which you
can see now at the lobby of the former Karatsu Bank. This bank was at its
highest time because of the economy of coal. |
The 100 years celebration monument |
Then, what happened to the cargo ship Bolton Castle?
There seems to be three Bolton Castles in England. One was before our Bolton
Castle, and another was after.
Our Bolton Castle was sold and its name was changed. The last name of this
ship was Fidelitas.
At the time of the World War Ⅱ, this ship was seized by Germany.
During its service as German convoy, it was attacked by English aircrafts
and was lost in the Arctic Ocean.
Other two Bolton Castles were also lost in the war.
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Mr. Iwasaki's model The Bolton Castle |
| Mr. Iwasaki has made many more model ships, foreign or domestic, existing or lost, most of them have some kind of relationship with the port of Karatsu. |
Mr. Iwasaki's work Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ |
When my husband and I went to Yorkshire two years ago, we could not
visit the old Castle "Bolton". Only by photos, we could see it,
still beautiful and serene.
I thought of Queen Mary, who was once enprisoned in this castle. The tragedy
of the history.
The old Castle, the Ship. and the Queen. These three overlapped in my mind
as one destiny, and it brought tears to my eyes when I look at the model
of the ship Bolton Castle.
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The Bolton Castle |
Mr. Iwasaki is 77 years old now, but he is still planning his next
model.
He is a real 'captain' of a Dream Ship. |
'Captain' Iwasaki |
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