Drawing of a Nagahama steamship, The Kotomaru

After the first steamship went into service on Lake Biwa in 1869, many steamships were built one after another at various ports on Lake Biwa. In Nagahama, starting with the Koryumaru, purchased by Rokuro Ozaka of Kobunacho in 1871, the Chounmaru in 1873 and the Kotomaru in 1878 went into service as Nagahama steamships. This drawing is a nishiki-e of the Kotomaru (25 tons of wooden structure), with passengers looking outside the windows, people chatting on the deck, a sailor looking ahead with his hand up, and the look of the inside the ship drawn in a lively manner.