Departure of the Okesa Maru from Sado Ryotsu Pier
[Introduction to Old Postcards of Niigata] 🧐
"Departure of the Okesa Maru from Sado Ryotsu Pier" 📮 Circa 1964–1976
A color postcard capturing the moment the Sado Kisen ferry "Okesa Maru (2nd generation)," which connected Niigata and Sado, leaves Ryotsu Pier.
In the season of meetings and departures, the crowd of well-wishers filling the pier conveys the bustle of remote island shipping routes in the Showa era 📷
[Commentary on Content, etc.] 🧐
◯ About the Okesa Maru (2nd generation)
The 2nd generation Okesa Maru entered service in 1964 and operated the Niigata-Ryotsu route until 1976. It had a gross tonnage of 919 tons, a total length of 59.88m, and a speed of 16.4 knots. It was a significantly larger ship than the first generation (which operated from 1932 to 1965 and was 488 tons) 🚢
◯ The season of meetings and remote island routes
In the spring, a time for entering higher education, starting jobs, or transferring, the Okesa Maru, carrying young people leaving the island and new arrivals, was likely especially busy during this season.
The crowd of well-wishers overflowing onto the pier is the very embodiment of the Showa era landscape, where meetings and partings were concentrated 🌸
◯ The lifeline of the Sado route
The route connecting Niigata Port and Ryotsu Port is a lifeline supporting the lives of islanders. The Okesa Maru handled all kinds of traffic—tourism, homecomings, job transfers, and logistics.
Currently, the 3rd generation, which entered service in 1993, is in operation 📋
◯ The lost scene of farewells
As car ferries became larger and faster, the sight of large crowds seeing people off at the pier gradually disappeared. This photo preserves the memory of a time when such bustle was commonplace.
📖 A "cross-section of history" told by paper
The shipping route that connected the island to the mainland was not just a means of transportation, but also a stage for meetings and farewells. In the moment the Okesa Maru slowly pulled away from the quay, the travel sentiment and the feelings of the people of the Showa era were etched forever 😌
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