The Imperial Japanese Navy

Fred T. Jane's richly illustrated study traces the Imperial Japanese Navy from legendary beginnings to the eve of the Russo-Japanese War, blending history, strategy, and technical detail into a portrait of Japan's rise as a maritime power. Beginning with Jimmu, Empress Jingo, Dan-no-ura, the Mongol invasions, and the arrival of the Portuguese, it follows the samurai and Shogunate through centuries of conflict, trade, piracy, and isolation, showing how warrior discipline and foreign contact shaped Japan's naval identity. The narrative then turns to Perry's opening of Japan, the treaties and internal upheavals that followed, and the rapid modernization that brought steamships, foreign instructors, Yokosuka shipbuilding, and Japan's first ironclad. The book also examines the machinery of modern sea power in remarkable detail, from dockyards and administration to warship endurance, watertight subdivision, wireless telegraphy, torpedo defense, and gun mountings. Its close-up treatment of 12-inch, 10-inch, and 6-inch artillery emphasizes hydraulic, electric, and manual redundancy, rapid loading, armor protection, and combat efficiency, capturing Japan's determined drive to match the great naval powers through innovation and industrial strength. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.