Chujiro Nakajima Collection (1967.02)

Biographical note

Nakajima was born in 1903, South of Tokyo in Kamakura. An honorary SSHSA member and maritime enthusiast, he began collecting at age 11 when a neighbor gave him maritime postcards. His interests broadened to include photographs, trunk labels, menus, and small house flags. He was questioned during World War II for espionage due to his frequent letters with foreign shipping agents and shipyards requesting material to add to his collection. The Mayor of New York’s office, The Imperial Chemical Industries (Japan) Limited, and the Chief of Tokyo’s Metropolitan Government External Affairs Division coordinated their efforts in 1963 to ensure the collection arrived in its new home at the Steamship Historical Society.