By HARUKA KOBAYASHI/ Staff Writer
October 19, 2025 at 07:00 JST
The microscopic model of the wartime battleship Yamato has a width of just 0.039 millimeter, roughly half the thickness of a strand of hair. (Provided by the Kure Maritime Museum)
KURE, Hiroshima Prefecture--A microscopic model of Japan’s famed World War II battleship Yamato has gone on display at the Yamato Museum Satellite here.
The 1-millionth-scale model is just 0.263 millimeter in length and was created using submicron 3D printing.
Since it is too small to be seen with the naked eye, a magnifying glass is provided for viewing.
The Yamato Museum Satellite is serving as a temporary exhibition space while the Kure Maritime Museum, also known as Yamato Museum, is closed for renovations through the end of March 2026.
The wartime battleship measured 263 meters from stern to bow and was constructed at the Kure Naval arsenal.
A 1/10 scale model measuring 26.3 meters was previously displayed at the main Yamato Museum.
The facility commissioned Castem Co., a precision metal parts manufacturer in Fukuyama in the prefecture, to create the miniature Yamato.
The surface of the resin-based model is coated in platinum.
It took about three months to recreate details like the main guns, propellers and stern flagpole.
Ryunosuke Hashiguchi, 19, visiting the museum with his family from Yao, Osaka Prefecture, said after peering at the model, “I’m amazed at the technology that can create something this small.”
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