# Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan/Series 1/Volume 3/Part 1/Observations on the Bay of Sendai

OBSERVATIONS ON THE BAY OF SENDAI.
A short account of a few days spent in Sendai Bay,
in quest of an Anchorage or Harbour.
BY
Captain St. JOHN, H. M. S. Sylvia.
Read before the Astatic Society of Japan, on the
14th October, 1874.
———o———
On the 15th of July, after feeling the way slowly into the north west corner of Sendai Bay, I found a partially sheltered anchorage in 3 fathoms behind the northern Island of this numerous group, which are clustered together, according to the Japanese numbering 808.
The coast line of the main Bay is here deeply indented, and the group of Islands spreading across the mouth of this bight, forms inside an inner Bay, 8 miles long, by 4 broad, named Matsu Sima, after a village on the main shore. Unfortunately this fine space of protected water is merely a lagoon. At high tide is has about 6 feet of water, pretty uniformly throughout, but at low tide a few boat passages leading through masses of ribbon seaweed, and crossings from the Islands to the mainland are the only open water. The Eastern shores of these Islands (i.e. facing Sendai Bay) are thickly studded with reefs, and rocks, making the approach very troublesome. Probably there are as many reefs under water as there are above.
The highest of these Islands, is about 300 feet, the lowest about 30, generally speaking 60 to 80 feet is their mean height. They are cut up in a wonderful manner by narrow creeks and tiny inlets which frequently almost ​join, being only separated by narrow ridges. I am unaware what distinguishes an Island from a rock with the Japanese, but considering those that have trees or herbage of some kind on them, as Islands the number 808 cannot be far out.
The foundation of these Islands is either a yellow sandstone rock of soft texture, or grey grit, closely approaching conglomerate. The stratification is very distinct and horizontal; a few slips and faults I observed, but they were rare. The surface soil is a rich vegetable mould mixed with an arenaceous compost. At the head of most of these creeks, there are a few small paddy-fields; but excepting these patches there is hardly any cultivation. This of course is easily accounted for by the scarcity of inhabitants. The principal village, speaking of this group of Islands and the main shore, in their immediate neighbourhood—in other words the West portion of Sendai Bay, is Ishibama, consisting of about 100 houses, and built on one of the Islands; it has an anchorage capable of holding half a dozen small vessels, between the Island on which it is situated and the one next to it, and is in consequence considered the Port of Sendai. The next most important village is Sabusawa about one mile from Ishibama, consisting of about 150 houses; it is situated on another Island. Siwo Kama with about 600 inhabitants built in the S.W. corner of the lagoon on the mainland, is 5 ri from Sendai, and 21/2 from Ishibama, it is the nearest village on the coast to Sendai. From here the produce of that large town and rice district is carried across in small boats to Ishibama and there shipped for further transit in junks and other Japanese craft. Matsu-Sima, a village on the mainland 5 miles west of Ishibama, has a population of about 500. Yöona another village on the mainland, built on a low spit of land, running out from the northern side of the lagoon, produces salt, as well as being a fishing establishment. With the exception of these few insignificant villages, there appears no where else a sufficient number of houses huddled together to deserve that name.
​The main land on this (W) side of Sendai Bay is hilly, wooded, and wild; but does not appear to be farmed, as in most parts of Japan, and the patches of cultivated ground are few and far apart. In fact I have never seen, except further north in the province of Matsu, a more scanty population, and so little cultivation. Ichinomaki is a dirty, dilapidated town, built on the banks of the river Katikami. It commences at about half a mile from the mouth of this river, and extends in an irregular way for three quarters of a mile up both banks. The population I should judge to be about 7,000, all of a very poor class of people. I did, however, meet one or two rice merchants at the head man’s establishment at another town near here, which I shall mention presently. There is no Government Official at Ichinomaki, merely a head man, an authority found in even the smallest Japanese villages. The Katikami is a fine and swift body of water, having a width abreast of the town of about 300 yards and a depth of 30 feet, but unfortunately like most other rivers failing into an open Bay, has a bar, with only 12 feet of water on it. It is not a tidal river, the body of water being too great and powerful to allow of its being so; it is also clear enough to be drinkable half a mile up. A few large junks were anchored off the town, but the banks, which are piled and rudely wharfed were crowded with large and perfectly flat-bottomed boats, 450 and 60 feet long by 12 and 14 ft. broad; these boats go 50 ri up the river (according to the boatmen) and bring rice from the interior, and when loaded draw about 18 inches of water. When the rice is bring brought down in the autumn, I have no doubt the town will show a little more life, but at the present time (July) a more torpid place I have never seen in Japan. In the extreme north east point of the Bay, three and a half miles from Ishinomaki, is a fishing village, named Wadanaha, with a population of about 2,000; and very filthy. The stench from the rotting débris of fish, which covered the wharf, was sickening. Skin disease certainly was evidently prevalent. Ichinomaki depends on its supply of fish from ​this village and as I walked back from the former river I met ponies, men and boys laden with bonito. These fish are caught in large set nets, each net has a look-out station attached to it, stuck on poles. The poles, for there are several lashed end, to end are 80 and 90 feet long, being erected in 12 fathoms. These flimsy-looking look-outs are kept wonderfully steady by large stones made fast to the bottom end of the poles and guyed and steadied at the surface by anchors and cables. There are often as many as half a dozen men on the platform fixed on the top. These things when approaching look like beacons, and even when sufficiently near to make out their real purpose, i.e. fishing, any one unless he knew to the contrary would expect they were on a rock, or at any rate in shoal water.
From Wodanaha, the ceast of the Bay trends S. E., 11 miles, terminating in the bluff point Amitzhania, and after turning the corner runs along to the north, passing Kin Kasan, within half a mile distance. Along this 11 miles of coast, which is rough, bold and hilly, there are several Bays, but all open and devoid of shelter. A few miserably small fishing villages are scattered about the extreme ends of the Bay. Occasionally a very small patch of cultivation is seen, but the country is almost all perfectly wild and wooded excepting the Cape itself, and a couple of miles back from it, which is clear and covered with short grass; here small herds of ponies were grazing.
Kin moran is entirely covered with old wood, though none of great size. Pine, Cedar and a few deciduous trees form the chief cover. The Temple is quite small and insignificant and, except for some late slight repairs, would be in a ruinous state. It is 1/4 of a mile from the landing place, and from it a path leads to the sharp peak of the Island 1,000 feet high.
Another small ruinous temple and a few rude stone figures of Buddha, some on their heads, some on their shins or on their backs, point to the neglect and little interest now felt by the Japanese in their old customs. Large figures of the same god were lying about down below. I ​walked up to call on the priest, but he was at Sendai. The chief individual about the place was a little stout old man, in European clothing. He was very civil, and excessively fond of saki, for he kept sipping at a bottle of the strongest alcohol. I gave him some claret to taste but this he hardly appreciated as much as his own burning liquor. There are numerous beautifully clear streams in the Island, of delicious cold water. The coarse sand at the bottom and sides of these water courses is thickly filled with mica. The ancient custom allowed no women to land on the Island, but this is not now enforced. The deer which were grazing about the bare slopes as I landed were of old considered sacred; they are not so now.
I was rather amused when steaming across the Bay, and wanted to communicate with a fishing boat. I stopped, and, as the small craft passed close to the interpreter, hailed the men to come alongside, but, though only a few yards off, they paid not the slightest attention to him: he was dressed as a European. I then steamed after them, and got the boat close alongside, but nothing would induce the men in her to have the slightest communication with him. The fact was they did not believe he was a Japanese. I have observed frequently, that they lose weight and respect among their own people when dressed as foreigners. The natives about this northern part of Niphon appear to me to be a variety of the true Japanese. They are coarser built, have higher cheek bones, are larger limbed and unmistakably darker, this latter peculiarity I take from the small children and women. The men, of course, being mostly fishermen and exposed to the sun and salt water, would naturally soon become very dark.
The north side of Sendai Bay is a low flat sandy beach: immediately behind this are rice plains running far back into the interior, so far, in fact, that their extent cannot be seen. Some magnificent mountains towered in the extreme blue distance, still retaining a quantity of snow on the grand slopes.
​I have little else to say regarding this Bay, except that I expected to find a much more rich and populous country than I did, especially about Ichinomaki. Pheasants and duck must abound in the winter, a few heron, gull (larus argentatus), oyster catchers, (hœmatopus ostralegus), ospreys, (aquila haliœtus) and the common cormorant, were almost the only birds I saw.
On one of the Islands I found a most perfect specimen of the lower part of the trunk of a large tree, petrified in the sand-stone 60 feet below the surface. It was in a small cleft, where the outer portion of rock had fallen out. The large roots were clearly seen, and the position of the tree was evidently such as it had grown in.
A General Meeting of this Society was held on Wednesday evening the 14th October 1874 at the Grand Hotel. There was a good attendance. The Chair was taken by Sir H. S. Parkes, one of the Vice Presidents, shortly before nine o’clock.
The Minutes of the Annual Meeting having been read and approved, it was announced that the following gentlemen had been elected Ordinary Members of the Society since the last General Meeting:—the Rev. D.C. Green, Messrs. Kingdon, C. de Drummond Hay, J. Sichel, G. H. Howell, Hatakeyama, and Struve, B. H. Chamberlain. It was also announced that several valuable donations to the Library and Museum had been made, the principal of which, a model of a gold Mine and Works at the Island of Sado, presented by Erasmus Gower Esq., was exhibited on a side table and attracted considerable attention from those present.
The author being absent, Mr. Wilkin then proceeded to read the first of the two Papers for the evening, being the first of a series on “The Useful Minerals and Metallurgy of the Japanese.” The subject principally treated in this Paper was the manufacture of Iron and Steel.
The Chairman said he was quite sure all the Members and Visitors present would join him in presenting the Society’s best thanks to Dr. Geerts for his very valuable and interesting Paper and they would look forward with much pleasure to the future contributions of the series, which promised to be a very comprehensive one. He was glad to see many members present who were competent to discuss such an important subject and be hoped they would favour the Society with the result of their valuable experience.
​After a few remarks from Mr. Erasmus Gower, who stated that he is at present engaged in putting up some furnaces for the Japanese in the province of Hitachi (Jôshiu) where there is a considerable bed of ironstone, varying in thickness from 18 ft. to 8 ft., and needing only to be quarried.
Mr. Brunton said that in reference to the process described in the paper as being common in Japan, of keeping pig iron in a molten state for a lengthened time which sometimes extended to seven days, and by this means producing a malleable or wrought iron, he thought he saw in this some resemblance to the principle of the Bessemer process as carried out in England. The Bessemer process consisted of a rapid combustion of the earthy matters and other substances in the iron, and this combustion was obtained by the insertion of large quantities of oxygen into a vessel containing molten metal. Although the paper did not mention the means by which the Japanese maintain the iron in a melted state, it might be supposed that it was done by blowing air through it with bellows, but whether this was the case or not, it seemed to him that this practice of the Japanese was similar in principle to the Bessemer process, as it maintained the iron for varied periods at very high temperatures, and so consumed the impurities contained in it.
Professor Ayrton remarked that in the Paper a description had been given of the method of making steel employed by the Japanese. Could the reader inform him whether any of this steel was used to make steel wire of? He (Prof. Ayrton) had lately required steel wire of different thickness, but the Kogakuriyo had stated that they had been quite unable to obtain any for him, even of foreign manufacture. Now if Japanese steel wire could be procured anywhere this difficulty might be overcome.
In reply to this, Mr. Wilkin said that he was not the author of the Paper, but he was not aware that any steel wire was manufactured by the Japanese though he believed copper wire was to some considerable extent.
Professor Ayrton then continued, and said that mention had been made of the badness of Japanese copper wire. Some of it had at any rate one good quality about which he would say a few words. It would probably be known to many of those present that copper wire was largely employed in the manufacture of telegraph instruments and sub-marine cables. Now the wire, like all other conductors, offered a certain obstruction (or resistance as it is called) to the passage of the electric current, but this resistance might, for the same length and thickness of the wire, be immensely diminished by increasing the purity of the copper employed. Up to the laying of the first Atlantic cable it was imagined that any extra resistance in the conductor of a cable, produced by impurities in the copper, could be compensated for by increasing the battery power employed. Before, however, the construction of the second Atlantic cable of 1865, Sir William Thomson (whose name had lately been prominently brought before the Society in Captain Belknap’s paper on Deep Sea Soundings in the Pacific) was led from purely ​theoretical considerations to conclude that the commercial value of a long sub-marine cable could be doubled if pure copper wire were substituted for the impure wire previously employed; for he showed that the speed of sending, or the number of words that could be sent per minute, was cæteris paribus inversely proportional to the specific resistance of the copper employed, and could not be increased by increasing the battery power. Consequently those who up to that time had looked on the systematic electric testing of copper wire as unnecessary had now become most strenuous in urging its regular adoption, so that at the present time no coil of copper wire was employed in a submarine cable which had not, by being previously tested, proved itself to have less than the contract resistance.
A number of specimens of Japanese copper wire, of different gauges, had recently been electrically tested in this way in Prof. Ayrton’s laboratory, and the result had been that, while many samples had as much as twenty or thirty per cent more resistance than pure copper and therefore would be quite valueless for submarine cable or telegraph instruments, other samples had scarcely more resistance than if they had been composed of pure copper, in a few cases, indeed, not even one per cent more. Consequently, as far as conduction was concerned, wire like the good samples would be of great practical value for telegraphic purposes. The price per pound of both bad and good samples was practically the same, and less, or at any rate not more, than the wholesale price in England of commercial copper wire.
Mr. Gowland, F.C.S of the Imperial Mint, Osaka, said that in reply to the remarks of the last speaker respecting the variable electro-couductivity of Japan copper, exceedingly high numbers having been obtained in some cases and low numbers in others, he would state briefly a few of the results to which he had been led by the chemical and physical examination and metallurgical treatment of about eight hundred tons of copper. The copper of Japan as a rule, when properly refined in a suitable furnace, was calculated to take a foremost place amongst the various kinds of commercial copper destined for electro-telegraphic or other purposes where special purity was essential. It was almost invariably free from the injurious metals antimony and arsenic as well as from phosphorus. Antimony he had never found excepting in traces, and arsenic when present rarely in larger quantities than .03 per cent. In fact when the crude copper was carefully selected and subjected to the Welsh process of refining, the resulting metal should consist of almost pure copper with traces only of lead, iron and silver. The importance of the purity of copper and of its special freedom from antimony, arsenic and phosphorus had been exhaustively treated by Matthieson in a paper communicated by him to the Royal Society and afterwards published in their “Transactions.” His results were obtained from experiments made upon impure, pure, and alloyed, specimens of copper the composition of which he had previously determined by chemical analysis. These results were opposed to some experimental ​results obtained by Sir Wm. Thomson, not however because the experiments of Sir W. Thomann were imperfectly conducted, but because alloys of inaccurate composition were supplied to him. The reasons, however, why Japanese copper wire, or copper in other forms, was so variable in its physical character were these.
Japanese crude copper occasionally contained excess of iron, and also of lead, metals however which were removed by refining, and when required for the production of a copper to be used for special purposes as for alloying gold in minting, or for electro-telegraphy, it was advisable to make frequent careful analyses in selecting it.
For further notes on Japanese copper Mr. Gowland would refer those interested to the appendix of the Report of the Imperial Mint, Osaka, for the present year. The copper ores usually worked in Japan yielded from 21/2 to 12 per cent. of copper, although richer specimens occurred in small quantities. The smelting process of the Japanese was one for which he had great respect, for although it was rude and yielding but a small out-turn compared with European methods, yet he had seen it economically conducted amidst difficulties and in localities where no other process would succeed. Strange as it might appear, the principles upon which it was conducted and the chemical reactions which took place were identical with those of the process followed in Wales at the present time.
The following minerals of iron were worthy of note in addition to those mentioned in the paper:—
Magnetic Iron Sand.—A fine black sand consisting of more or less perfect octahedra of magnetic oxide of iron. It occurred largely in the province of Aki and was smelted there by native methods.
Magnetic pyrites occurred massive in large quantities in several parts of Setsu, in Omi and Yamato, and probably in many parts of Japan. It occurred in the interior of Yamato ​in veins 2 to 8 feet or more in thickness, mixed with copper pyrites, yielding often as much as 12 per cent of copper and being then worked as a copper ore. In Omi it occurred rather extensively, associated with a rich argentiferous galena and arsenical pyrites.
The old process of native steel manufacture by melting together wrought iron and cast iron was curiously interesting, as an almost identical process had been patented and worked by a Sheffield firm during late years.
The process for manufacturing wrought iron described in the paper appeared to be a kind of lengthened puddling process and must be attended with great loss of iron.
Professor Ayrton then again rose and said that he had derived much pleasure from listening to Mr. Gowland’s remarks especially those connected with the impurities chemical analysis showed to exist in Japanese copper wire. Like him he had found the wire brittle, but he had to a great extent got over this objection by insisting on the wire being carefully annealed before it was supplied to him. He was afraid Mr. Gowland had somewhat misunderstood what he (Prof. Ayrton) had said regarding the action taken by Sir W. Thomson. Prof. Thomson’s conclusions regarding the connection existing between the speed of signalling and the resistance of the conductor of the cable were based on mathematical reasoning, and not, as Mr. Gowland appeared to think, on tests of alloys of copper submitted to him. Probably, after theoretical considerations had led Sir William to see the immense practical value to be derived from the systematic testing of the resistance of copper wire, he might have asked wire-drawers to furnish him with samples in order that he might see how good it was practically possible to get copper wire; but the testing of these samples could not in any way affect the results he had previously obtained mathematically and to which Prof. Ayrton had referred in his previous remarks.
The Chairman (Sir Harry S. Parkes) then closed the discussion on this paper with a few observations on the subject generally, and after a few introductory remarks proceeded to read the second Paper, by Captain St. John of H. M. S. Sylvia, entitled “Observations on the Bay of Sendai.”
Mr. Brunton then made a few remarks to the effect that Ishi-no-maki had seemed to him on his visit there a short time ago to be a tolerably clean and well-to-do town. The bar across the river mouth, however, on which there is not more than 2 or 3 feet of water is a great obstruction to the shipping importance of the place. There is no shelter for vessels lying off the mouth of the river and it is therefore quite unsuitable as a port. There is a harbour, however, to the eastward of Ishi-no-maki called Ai-kawa which offers good shelter to vessels being open only on a very small arc towards the south east; but as this harbour is surrounded by steep hills, it also is useless as a commercial port.