Former Kamegakubi Naval Proving Ground, Military testing facility in Kurahashi Island, Kure, Japan.
The former naval proving ground stretches along Kurahashi Island with concrete structures and testing platforms positioned toward the Aki Sea. The grounds still show the layouts of testing areas and offer views across the water where experiments took place.
The testing facility was established in 1900 by the Imperial Japanese Navy to evaluate artillery weapons and ammunition for the Kure Naval Arsenal. The site was gradually expanded during the early 1900s to support more complex weapon evaluations.
The site reflects how Japan invested in modernizing its naval capabilities through rigorous testing of new weapons and technologies. Walking through reveals the central role this place held in advancing maritime military engineering.
The site is accessible from Kure City by taking a ferry that regularly travels to Kurahashi Island. Coastal paths allow you to move around the testing areas and provide views of the water along the way.
The facility was equipped with specialized measurement devices to calculate projectile trajectories and precisely assess ammunition performance over water. These early instruments reveal how Japan was using scientific methods in weapons development as far back as 1900.
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