Sailing ship Nippon Maru Coloring Pages
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About Sailing ship Nippon Maru
A Big Ship Powered by the Wind
Sailing ship Nippon Maru is a big sailing ship that uses the wind in its sails to move instead of an engine.
It was built in 1930 and was used as a training ship to help train people who work on ships.
It is about 97 meters long! It has 4 tall masts. The tallest mast is as high as a 14-story building.
People called it the "Swan of the Pacific" because it looks so beautiful with its white hull and spread-out white sails.
Sailing the Distance of 45 Trips Around the Earth
Sailing ship Nippon Maru retired in 1984. During its 54 years at sea, it sailed a long way—about 45 trips around the Earth!
More than 10,000 people trained on this ship and became sailors.
Today, it is carefully kept in a ship dock in Minato Mirai, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture.
It is even an Important Cultural Property of Japan.
It is a very rare cultural property because the ship is preserved while still floating on water!
Spreading 29 Sails in "Sohantenpo"
Sailing ship Nippon Maru has 29 sails in total.
About 10 times a year, volunteers climb up the masts to open all the sails for an event called Sohantenpo.
Seeing all the white sails spread out is amazing. It is so big that it looks just as grand as the surrounding skyscrapers!
Three Coloring Pages
The first picture shows Sailing ship Nippon Maru with its sails folded up. You can clearly see its 4 masts, horizontal yards, and many ropes. There is no background, so you can focus on coloring the ship.
The second picture shows Sailing ship Nippon Maru during Sohantenpo, with the tall buildings of Yokohama towering behind it.
The third picture is a view looking up from the bow during Sohantenpo. It is a detailed drawing that even shows the angled bowsprit, nets, and anchor chains.
Every picture was drawn based on real photographs!
A Famous Spot in Yokohama Port
Minato Mirai, where Sailing ship Nippon Maru is kept, is a place with many famous sights around Yokohama Port.
Nearby, you can also find the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse.
You can go inside Sailing ship Nippon Maru to see the rooms where the crew lived and where they steered the ship.
Next to the dock is the Yokohama Port Museum, where you can learn all about the sea and the port!
How to Color Sailing ship Nippon Maru
A White Hull and Orange Masts
The hull of Sailing ship Nippon Maru is white. You can leave it uncolored, or add shadows with light gray or light sky blue.
If you color the masts and yards in orange or ocher just like the real thing, it will look just like Sailing ship Nippon Maru!
Color the spiral decoration on the bow gold or yellow, and make the bottom edge of the hull reddish-brown.
Tips to Make the White Sails Look White
The sails in the 2nd and 3rd pictures are white, so you can leave them uncolored.
If you add a little light gray or cream color to the shadows on the rounded parts of the sails, they will look like they are puffing up in the wind!
The Sky and Sea in Shades of Blue
Color the sky sky blue, and color the sea blue or blue-green.
If you make the top of the sky dark and the bottom light, it will look like a clear, sunny day!
For the water surface in the 1st picture, color with blue along the wave lines.
Buildings and Trees
Color the buildings in the background gray or light sky blue. If you add blue to some of the windows, it will look like the sky is reflecting in the glass!
Use both green and yellow-green to color the trees on the left.
Sailing ship Nippon Maru is the main star, so the secret is to color the buildings a little light!
Lifeboats and Ropes
Color the lifeboats on the side of the ship in bright, bright orange.
Don't worry about coloring all the many ropes! Leaving them as thin lines will make your picture look neat and clean.
If you color the anchor chain dark gray or black, it will look heavy and solid!
Fun Facts About Sailing ship Nippon Maru
Controlling the Sails Takes Human Power
On a sailing ship, people climb up the masts to spread out and fold the sails by hand.
Pulling the ropes takes human power, too!
Everyone has to work together to move a big sailing ship. That is why people learned teamwork on the training ship.
The Sister Ship, Kaiwo Maru
Sailing ship Nippon Maru has a sister ship born in the same year named Kaiwo Maru.
Kaiwo Maru is kept at Kaiwomaru Park in Imizu City, Toyama Prefecture today, and you can see its full sails unfolded there, too!
Now, the second-generation Nippon Maru and Kaiwo Maru are sailing the oceans of the world as training ships.
Names of the Masts
The masts on a sailing ship have names from front to back.
The 4 masts on Sailing ship Nippon Maru are called Fore, Main, Mizzen, and Jigger from the front.
Speed of the Sailing Ship
When catching strong winds, Sailing ship Nippon Maru could travel at a speed of about 20 kilometers per hour.
It also had an engine for times when there was no wind.
It visited ports all over the world by using both its sails and engine!
Climbing the Mast
Trainees climbed rope ladders to practice working with the sails high up on the masts.
Climbing up on a rocking ship takes a lot of courage!
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Nippon Maru with sails folded
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Nippon Maru under Full Sail
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Nippon Maru looked up from the bow (Detailed)
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