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Ogasawara NP, Tokyo
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After surviving an air attack near Saipan, the Hinkō Maru reached Chichijima for repairs. Another U.S. raid left it stranded off Sakaiura on July 4, 1944; it was abandoned on August 5.
The Hinkō Maru’s rusting hull has become a fish-gathering reef: Tokyo’s park snorkeling map notes fish around the wreck and coral along both sides of Sakaiura’s shore.
A JMSDF comparison shows the Hinkō Maru clearly above water in a photo estimated to date from Ogasawara’s 1968 return to Japan; by 2020, most of the hull was no longer visible.
The partly submerged wreck is the remains of a 5,418-ton cargo ship, 121 meters long between perpendiculars—an unexpectedly massive vessel to find just offshore from this quiet beach.
The name Hinkō Maru isn’t local: Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force says it was named for Hinkō Province in Manchukuo, the Japanese-controlled state in northeast China.
The beach pavilion is roofed with leaves of the Ogasawara fan palm, a palm endemic to the islands. It is local botany with a practical job: making shade at Sakaiura.
A fallen tree serves as the anchor for a handmade beach swing at Sakaiura, singled out by Tokyo’s visitor guide as a popular photo spot—a small bit of beachside play beside the wreck and reef.
