Locomobile, The Oldest Private Steam Automobile in JAPAN

This is the first automobile for commercial use in Japan which was imported from the United States in 1902 and is the only one existing today. Baron Ryokichi Kawada, who was the president of Yokohama Dock Co., Ltd. at that time, purchased the automobile for commuting to the company. He became the president of Hakodate Dock Co. later on and used the automobile for coming and going between his residence in Hakodate city and his farming plant of ‘Danshaku’ potatoes.

This is a high-performance car that graces the opening page of Japan’s automobile history. As a steam automobile, it boasts being a top-end machine right before the shift to gasoline-fueled cars and can be said to be the base of the rise of automobiles in Japan. In 1980, the automobile was fully restored to a condition enabling self-travel.