The march, which sets to music lyrics by Hiraku Toriyama, was originally composed in B-flat major, but was transposed to F-major in the Taishō era in order to make it more manageable for men's voices.

Three years after its composition, Setoguchi made an instrumental arrangement of the song for the Imperial Japanese Navy Band where he served as its bandleader.

However, after the Treaty of San Francisco was signed, the march was revived by the Imperial Japanese Navy's successor, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

The march's fame has endured in post-war Japan, making numerous appearances for pachinko parlors during that time.

In 1996, a monument commemorating the Warship March was erected at the Mikasa Park in Yokosuka, Kanagawa.