A New Generation of Marine Machinery in Borderless Bulk Trade
Masashi Toyonaga
Department Manager, Tsuji Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.
Preface
Sasebo City in Nagasaki Prefecture in the west of Kyushu Island, where Tsuji Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. is located, is in the westernmost part of Japan and geographically the nearest the Asian Continent; and therefore, it has historically had a very lively exchange with Main Land China and what is called Four Dragons (Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore) since B.C. years.
On the other hand, from the standpoint of trade and cultural exchange with Europe, Hirado City, which is very near Sasebo, was prosperous as the main port for European trade with Spain and Portugal in the first half of the 17th century after Portuguese landed at Kyushu Island and introduced guns into Japan for the first time in 1543.
“Imari” which was exported from Hirado to Europe in those days has been distinguished as classic outstanding porcelain ranking with Meissen. Later Dutch Factory was moved to Nagasaki, which was unfortunately destined to be the Second Atomic Bomb Attacked City subsequent to Hiroshima in this century. Nagasaki was prosperous through trade with Holland as an only window opened to Europe in Japan in the National Isolation years from 1639 to 1853 during which foreign trade was prohibited by the Samurai's Government.
Nagasaki City still retains cultural traces of those days, such as European words and historic spots, in food, clothes and any other everyday manners and customs.
