YOKOHAMA — The port city boasts an enormous crane shaped like a hammer, constructed back in 1914 for loading ships with cargo. This iconic structure remains a testament to the area’s rich industrial history.
The Hammerhead Crane can be found in Yokohama’s Naka Ward, particularly within the well-known Minato Mirai 21 area, which has been featured frequently in television shows and movies. Designed uniquely for managing port cargoes, this particular crane was produced in the UK and set up in Yokohama back in 1914.
Standing at roughly 31 meters tall with an arm length of about 43 meters, the crane was a marvel of its time, capable of lifting up to 50 metric tons when manual landing and loading of cargo was the norm. It played a significant role in modernizing cargo handling by streamlining transportation of heavy goods. Although the machine is a type of fixed electric crane, its hammerlike shape earned it the nickname.
Nine years after its completion, when the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake hit, port wharves and various buildings collapsed. Nonetheless, thanks to its sturdy construction via the "pneumatic caisson method," the crane’s foundation stayed mostly intact.
The Hammerhead Crane continued to function until 2001 and was designated as a Civil Engineering Heritage by the Japan Society of Civil Engineers in 2018. Nowadays, the vicinity has transformed into commercial spaces and parks teeming with visitors and sightseers. Against this lively backdrop, the robust structure looms as an enduring symbol of the harbor’s past.
(Original Japanese version by Osamu Sukagawa, Photography Group)
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The Japanese edition of this article was initially published on March 2, 2025.
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