She was laid down as a merchant ship by shipbuilder Uraga Senkyo and launched on 12 October 1939. In September 1941, she was requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Navy and converted to an auxiliary gunboat, She participated in the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Invasion of Tulagi in May 1942. On 21 June 1942, she was sunk by the submarine "USS S-44" () at () west of the Nggela Islands in the Solomon Islands. 63 crewmen were killed and 62 crewmen were rescued by Japanese minesweeper ().