---
title: The Turkish Memorial Museum and the Ertugrul
url: https://karigurashijourney.com/en/notes/turkish-memorial-museum-and-the-ertugrul/
lang: en
journey: https://karigurashijourney.com/en/episodes/kushimoto/
---

# The Turkish Memorial Museum and the Ertugrul

A little of each town’s story　/　Kushimoto, Wakayama

A museum beside the memorial to the Turkish frigate on Kashinozaki, Kii-Oshima, displaying a model of the Ertugrul along with relics, photographs and documents. On September 16, 1890, the Ottoman frigate Ertugrul was caught in a typhoon off Kashinozaki, ran aground and sank; 587 men died. The whole village of Oshima turned out to rescue and care for the survivors, and 69 were saved. The event is regarded as the origin of friendship between Japan and Turkey, and in 1985, during the Iran-Iraq War, a Turkish aircraft evacuated Japanese nationals left in Tehran. Kushimoto is a sister city of Mersin in Turkey, and part of the 2015 film Ertugrul 1890 was shot in the town.

1025-26 Kashino, Kushimoto, Higashimuro District, Wakayama

## This moment in the journey: The southern tip of Honshu, and a bond with Turkey

Beyond the pine branches rose the Shionomisaki Tourist Tower. Cape Shionomisaki is the southernmost point of Honshu, and a stone monument standing against the sea reads "Shionomisaki, Southernmost Point of Honshu."

One thing I had wanted to try in this town was kebab rice: fragrant kebab in yogurt sauce over white rice, topped with threads of red chili. Kushimoto has a deep bond with the Republic of Turkey, and you can glimpse it in the town's restaurants. I ate mine with Turkish cloth on the wall behind me, at a cafe near the Turkish Memorial Museum on Kashinozaki, Kii-Oshima.

Japan saved Turkey, and Turkey saved Japan. In front of the museum, the flags of Turkey and Japan fly side by side. On September 16, 1890, the Ottoman frigate Ertugrul, caught in a typhoon off Kashinozaki, ran aground and sank; 587 men were lost. The villagers of Oshima turned out in force to help, and 69 survivors were saved. Ninety-five years later, in 1985, a Turkish aircraft rescued Japanese nationals stranded in Tehran during the Iran-Iraq War. The story of a bond spanning 95 years began here.

Inside the museum are photographs and documents from the time. Outside the window, white waves broke on the rocks. The kebab and the white rice sat together on the plate as if to show the friendship between Japan and Turkey.

![A panel telling the story of the Ertugrul shipwreck](https://karigurashijourney.com/img/kushimoto/s85-1200.jpg)
- Sources: https://www.pref.wakayama.lg.jp/prefg/022300/kokusaikouryu/torikumi/tyukeykouryu.html
- Sources: https://rurubu.jp/andmore/spot/80032616
- Sources: https://tabi-mag.jp/wa0141/

Read this scene in the full journey: https://karigurashijourney.com/en/episodes/kushimoto/