Scale: 1:48. The ‘Niitaka’ was a small third class protected cruiser similar to the British ‘Sirius’ class of 1891, but more heavily armed. Built at Yokosuka, she was 312 feet in length, forty-four feet in beam and had a displacement of 3420 tons. Her armament, which was of German design, included six 6 inch guns and ten 12 pounders. With a triple-expansion engine driving twin screws she had a service speed of twenty knots. The ‘Niitaka’ was one of the first Japanese warships to be of Japanese design. The country already had in service cruisers built by Armstrong’s and the influence of the British company’s designs here is evident. An earlier Japanese cruiser design had not been very successful but the ‘Niitaka’ was well thought of. She took a prominent part in the fighting in the Russo-Japanese war (1904-05), first in the attack on the Russian fleet in Port Arthur and later in the Battle of Tsushima Straight. Although reported sunk by the Russians, she survived and remained in service until she was wrecked in 1922.

The model sits in an ornate black lacquered case with gold embellishments, was one of a gift of six models of the Japanese Government to the Royal Naval College, in Greenwich, in 1910. The Royal Naval College Museum catalogue, 1913, records their presentation “as a token of their sincere gratitude for the kindness and courtesy which Japanese Constructors and Engineers have experienced at the hands of the authorities of the Royal Naval College on the occasion of their studies there”. Admiral Togo had trained there as a naval officer, and had returned to attend the Royal Naval Coronation Fleet Review held in 1911.

It is of a quality comparable with the very best British shipbuilders’ models from the early twentieth century. The level of fine detail is impressive, with even the smallest fittings beautifully crafted and plated in either gold or silver. The bridge, in particular, is an incredible piece of work, complete with shutter telegraph, awning frame, chart table, binnacle, and sash windows.