She was launched as "Yoshi Maru" (代志丸) in February 1920 (Taisho 9) at the Osaka shipyard of Namura Shipbuilding Works (名村造船鐵工所) for the benefit of Sato Shokai K.K. and completed later in the year. In November 1924, she was purchased by Chosen Yusen Co., Ltd. (朝鮮郵船株式會社) and renamed "Shunsen Maru" (春川丸) although she is also listed as "Harukawa Maru". She worked as a fishing vessel before being briefly requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Navy from until 10 May 1923 until 6 November 1923. Serving in the Yokosuka Guard District, Yokosuka Naval District, her first task was laying buoys to mark the route to Alexandrovsk which had been seized from the Russians during the Japanese intervention in Siberia and thereafter mostly worked as a replenishment vessel for steam vessels (coal, water, food). She returned to the private sector until the advent of World War II. Her call sign was changed to JEKG sometime in 1934.