The ship was originally constructed by Germany as a cargo ship for use in the German Empire's concessions in China and was known as Michael Jebsen (named after German trader in China Michael Jebsen).

Its home port was in the modern city of Qingdao's harbor, usually romanized as Tsingtao in English at the time, or as Kiautschou in German.

The Germans lost the Siege of Tsingtao, and the Michael Jebsen was scuttled in Jiaozhou Bay in November 1914 to prevent it from falling into the hands of the enemy.

At some point in the service of Kōshū during the late 1920s or early 1930s, it likely visited Jaluit Harbor in Japan's South Seas Mandate for the Marshall Islands.

[1] Japanese blogger Kota Yamano, who discredited a number of other claims the documentary made, said he believed the ship in the photograph to be the old survey ship Kōshū instead; other analysts believed that the photograph, based on other clues, likely was taken in the late 1920s or early 1930s.