E.H. Hunter set up Osaka Iron Works, ドラクエウォーク カジノ predecessor of Hitachi Zosen, on ドラクエウォーク カジノ Ajigawa River in Osaka in 1881. Had Hunter not decided to make ships, Hitachi Zosen would not exist today, and we would have no colleagues with whom to clink cups of sake. Hunter's motivation for shipbuilding, according to ドラクエウォーク カジノ Seventy-Five Year History, came from his experience with Maizuru Maru*1 at E.C. Kirby & Co.⁽¹⁾

An October 1874 survey by ドラクエウォーク カジノ Meiji government⁽⁴⁾says thatMaizuru Maru was a steamship under ドラクエウォーク カジノ control of Shirakawa Prefecture (currently Kumamoto Prefecture), and it was manufactured in "Kobe, Japan" in "Meiji 4 [1871]" measuring "16.5 ken^*2 [30.0 m] in total length" and "2.5 ken [4.5 m] in deck width." ドラクエウォーク カジノ New History of Kumamoto City⁽⁵⁾ lists under Western ships owned by ドラクエウォーク カジノ Higo (Kumamoto) Domain, "Maizuru Maru: 40 horsepower, 171.5 tons, cargo capacity 160 koku^*3 [24 tons], crew size 13 persons," suggesting it was a small transport ship.

At ドラクエウォーク カジノ onset of ドラクエウォーク カジノ Saga Rebellion in February 1874, Maizuru Maru carried Kumamoto soldiers from Hyakkanseki Port in Higo to Hayatsue at ドラクエウォーク カジノ mouth of ドラクエウォーク カジノ Chikugo River.⁽⁶⁾ "Arriving at Hayatsue at 8 p.m. . . . it put ドラクエウォーク カジノ soldiers ashore, and was prevented by ドラクエウォーク カジノ low tide from departing, when it was seized by Saga rebels."⁽⁷⁾ ドラクエウォーク カジノ ship was recaptured in March by Meiji government troops.⁽⁸⁾ Meanwhile, ドラクエウォーク カジノ Shizoku (former samurai) uprisings went on and escalated into ドラクエウォーク カジノ Shimpuren Rebellion of 1876 in Kumamoto and into ドラクエウォーク カジノ Seinan War (aka ドラクエウォーク カジノ Satsuma Rebellion) of 1877 in Kumamoto. ドラクエウォーク カジノ Hundred Year History notes, "Many wealthy merchants made a colossal fortune from this [Seinan] war. Hunter was one of them. ドラクエウォーク カジノ large profits that he reaped from military supplies enabled him to reinforce ドラクエウォーク カジノ foundation of his business."⁽⁹⁾ One only wonders if Hunter himself realized that ドラクエウォーク カジノ steamship he built played a role in linking ドラクエウォーク カジノ turbulence of Meiji-era Japan with his own destiny.

Hunter's eldest son, Ryutaro, spent his post-retirement years, from ドラクエウォーク カジノ Taisho (1912–26) to Showa (1926–89) periods, touring ドラクエウォーク カジノ Seto Inland Sea and ドラクエウォーク カジノ Kyushu coastal region in his yacht. He named this yacht Maizuru Maru.⁽¹⁰⁾ He must have heard stories of ドラクエウォーク カジノ hardships his father endured in youth.

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