Ha06　Trunk

The City of Hiroshima

This trunk was used when returning home to Japan prior to the war. It was called “tronko.”
Stickers from the Takaya Ryokan (Japanese-style inn) in Kobe and the Matsuzaka-ya Ryokan in Yokohama have been affixed to the side of this trunk. In those days, ryokans helped the people who knew nothing about going abroad with their arrangements. “Saishin seikaku Hawai tokō annai” [Guide to Help Those Who Want to Go to Hawaii] of 1904 states: “You should stay at an inn for two or three days prior to your departure, because you will be nervous about the various tasks before boarding a ship: purchasing tickets, quarantine and disinfection, questioning by the marine police, buying supplies and food for the journey, etc.”