Ertugrul frigate: Tragedy laid foundations of strong relations between Türkiye, Japan

By Ahmet Furkan Mercan

TOKYO (AA) - It has been 132 years since the shipwreck of the Ertugrul frigate off the southeast coast of Japan, the tragedy that is considered the beginning of the Turkish-Japanese friendship.

The frigate, which bore the name of the father of the Ottoman Empire’s founder, Osman I, set sail for Japan in 1889 on the order of Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II two years after Japanese Prince Komatsu Akihito’s state visit to Istanbul.

The legacy of martyred Ottoman sailors and the frigate remain vivid in the hearts of Turkish and Japanese people, and commemorative ceremonies continue being held in both Türkiye and Japan to mark the tragic event.

-1st diplomatic delegation to Japan

Considered the starting point of relations between the Turks and Japanese, the Ertugrul frigate carrying 609 sailors paid the first visit by an organized diplomatic delegation from the Islamic world to Japan.

On its way to Japan, the frigate stopped at Suez, Aden, Bombay (Mumbai), Colombo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Fuji, Nagasaki, and Kobe and arrived in Yokohama 11 months later.

The head of the delegation, Ali Osman Pasha, was received by Japanese Emperor Meiji, and presented a letter and medal sent by Abdulhamid II to the emperor.

The frigate left the city on Sept. 15, 1890, but then was caught by the September typhoons that affected southern Japan every year.

When it sank off the coast of Wakayama Prefecture in 1890, on its way back home from its goodwill voyage to Japan, the incident resulted in the loss of 533 sailors and officers, including Ottoman Rear Adm. Ali Osman Pasha.

- Japanese villagers rescue 69 Turkish sailors

Japanese villagers in Kashinozaki, near the site of the shipwreck, rescued 69 Turkish sailors. The survivors were later transported back to Istanbul aboard the Japanese corvettes Kongo and Hiej.

A monument to the martyrs was erected in 1891 in Kushimoto, near where the accident took place.

The local Turkish Museum, opened in 1974, contains a model of the Ertugrul frigate, photos of the soldiers and commanders on board, and sculptures.

The story of the Ertugrul frigate is considered the starting point of relations between the Turks and Japanese.

Türkiye's operation to rescue Japanese citizens stranded in Tehran in 1985 during the Iran-Iraq War is also remembered as an important landmark in their bilateral relations.​​​​​​​