catopower

The Tenma-zukuri chabune (ten-mah-zoo-koo-ree-chah-boo-nay) is small boat used on the canals and rivers of the Japanese capital city, once known as Edo, now Tokyo. It's a one or two person boat, but there is little known information about it. I have found no references to the type. And, like just about all traditional Japanese watercraft from the early 1800s and earlier, there are no plans of any type. The only information about the specific type comes from a book put together by the Shogunal government for the purpose to tax assessment. An illustrated book published in 1802 called the Funakagami includes an illustration of the type, along with general dimensions, and a table and illustration identifying the principle parts of the boat, though this may have been a later addition to the book. From this illustration and general measurements, I reconstructed the boat, creating a simple set of digital drawings from which to build the model from. The boat is similar to a type that is called a Tenmasen or Hakucho, which in the Edo area, was a cargo boat, and the name Tenma-zukuri chabune suggests there is some relationship, as it translates to "Tenma-style tea boat" (tea boats are a general class of small riverboat commonly used to sell food and drink to river goers). Knowing that there are a couple examples of Tenmasen remaining, I managed to acquire some photos of those to aid in the development of the drawings. After several revisions of the drawings, I and a fellow ship modeler in Japan, Mr. Kouichi Ohata, built our own models based on the final plan. His model was made in 1/10 scale, while mine was made in 1/20 scale. My model is about 13-1/2" long, and represents a 21-foot boat, probably operated one or two people. The model is made from Japanese cypress, called hinoki, which I darkened using an aniline dye. Copper coverings were added, which I darkened by giving the whole model a vapor bath of liver of sulfur. The exposed ends of iron nails you see inside the hull were simulated using permanent adhesive-backed vinyl cut using a Silhouette Cameo machine. Finally, before spraying the whole thing with a coat of matte lacquer, the lower part of the hull was given a wash of black dye to simulate the wood charring that was done to the hull bottoms to make them more waterproof and rot resistant.

In the Fall of 2019, boatbuilder Douglas Brooks went to Japan, together with Nina Noah from an organization called the Apprenticeshop, and built two boats as part of a research project. The second of these boats was the Himi Tenma or Tenmasen. It is a small workboat use for fishing and ferrying people and things in coastal waters. Larger versions of this boat were often carried aboard the large coastal transports called bezaisen or sengokubune for loading and offloading cargo, passengers, and crew. This particular boat was only about 13 feet long and was built under the guidance of Japanese boatbuilder Mr. Mitsuaki Bansho. I was asked to build this model as a gift for one of the donors to the project. The model is about 15.5" long and made primarily from sugi, or Japanese cedar. The light colored wood used for the beams, half-frames, stem, etc., is hinoki, or Japanese cypress. The model isn't an exact replica, as I was provided with a museum drawing of a similar boat, some dimensions, and photographs. But, the photos didn't explain all the details and the museum drawing differed from the actual boat that was built. So, this model is more of a representative model that is pretty accurate to the type and very close to the one built in 2019. I started construction in mid-April and completed it just about 30 days later.

In Japanese, this is a 保津川下り舟 or Hozugawa kudari bune. It is a "downriver" boat, because these boats were traditionally run down the Hozu river and through the rapids to carry goods down from the mountains to the old capital city of Kyōto. In the old days, the nearly 40-foot long boats were then hauled back up the river, manually, by the boatmen wearing cloth harnesses attached to long ropes. They would hike the rocky shores of the river, 3 at a time, while a fourth boatman would stay on the boat or on the shore, pushing the boat away from the rocks with a heavy pole. This is how it was done for centuries on the Hozu river as well as many other rivers. You can see many Japanese woodblock prints where boatmen are depicted walked along a river, hauling on ropes to pull boats upriver. This models is made from Japanese cypress, Hinoki, and is based on some drawings provided by boat builder Douglas Brooks. The last wooden kudari boat was specially built in 2009, the first wooden boat of its type built in 60 years. The boat still exists, but is not in use. Today, the tour boat company that operates on the Hozu river, uses fiberglass boats based on this design. These old wooden boats were particularly interesting in that the planking was not symmetrical. The bottom planks are made relatively short, and the floor planks closer to the bow are tapered. The planking arrangement is said to allow damaged planks to be more easily replaced. My own model is something of a hybrid of old and new. I had to base construction on photos of the wooden boat, but some changes had been made since its construction to make it more easily used as a tour boat. I tried to avoid adding the more modern touches, but I had few references to guide me at the time. I've since found photos of the boat when it was first put in the water in 2009. Plus, I now think I have a better understanding now of what was traditional and what was not. Edit: Just discovered this interesting (soundless) footage on Youtube that shows a boat being hauled up river and run down the river: