Kyokuto Maru was a Japanese tanker from the interwar period and World War II. The keel for this unit was laid in 1933, launched in October 1934, and commissioned in December of the same year. The total length of the ship at the time of launching was approx. 152 m, width approx. 20 m, and the actual displacement - approx. 10,000 tons. The top speed of the tanker reached 19-20 knots. In 1944, the armament of the unit consisted of two 120 mm guns and 16 25 mm anti-aircraft guns.
The Kyokuto Maru was one of two Toa Maru class tankers, which class - along with several other classes of tankers - is referred to in English as "Kawasaki-type oiler". The presented tanker was built at the Kawasaki shipyard in the city of Kobe, and its original user was the Japanese shipping lines Iino Lines (current full name: Iino Kauin Kaisha Limited). The Toa Maru class of tankers was developed for civilian purposes, but with the technical and financial commitment of the Japanese Navy, which assumed that at the outbreak of war, units of this class would be commandeered by them and would be able to supply heavy fuel to fleet units, especially aircraft carriers. . Considering the above, it is not surprising that the Kyokuto Maru civil service lasted only from 1934 to 1938, and already in 1938 it was taken over by the Japanese Navy, and in November 1941 it was assigned to the 1st Air Fleet, the main strike force of the Japanese navy. In January 1942 the unit changed its name to Oyashima Maru. At the end of the war, in September 1944, the unit was seriously damaged, and shortly later sunk in Manila Bay, but interestingly - in the period 1951-1952 it was lifted from the bottom and renovated to serve as a California Maru by 1964.