Delivered in 2022 by Admiral, the 75-metre Kenshō is instantly recognisable by her metallic blue-green hull and superstructure. It quickly garnered industry acclaim, penned in collaboration with Azure Yacht Design and Naval Architecture, archineers.berlin and Jouin Manku and today, she remains a striking vessel with flowing lines and ambitious choices lying within.
Kenshō was an owner-driven project and took six years to create. Ahead of her appearance at the Palm Beach International Boat Show this week, BOAT introduces seven facts you might not know about her...
Marking her global market debut, Kenshō is listed for sale with Will Christie of Christie Yachts. She is asking €124,500,000.
1. Her name means "seeing one's true nature"
Derived from a Japanese word, Kenshō is more than a name; it's an ethos reflected throughout her design. She was conceived as a yacht that prioritises a strong connection to the sea, evidenced through construction choices such as the low aft deck, which provides easy access to the water, or the light installation on the sundeck inspired by natural bioluminescence.
2. She has an unconventional guest-focused layout
In place of a traditional main saloon aft, the yacht prioritises private spaces. She is dedicated to accommodating 12 guests across eight cabins, with the full-beam owner's suite occupying the entire forward portion of the main deck. This includes a private lounge, dressing room and generous en suite.
As such, communal areas were relocated to the upper deck. The skylounge sits above the wheelhouse and offers 180-degree forward views in a comfortable lounge that can be converted into a cinema in the evening.
The high ceilings and wide corridors were specifically imagined to eliminate any unused space on the 1,989GT vessel.
3. She is highly acclaimed
While the yacht may have taken six long years to create from 2016 to her debut at the Monaco Yacht Show in 2022, this time and effort was amply rewarded when Kenshō won Motor Yacht of the Year at the 2023 World Superyacht Awards. Not only that, but Kenshō reportedly won by a healthy margin and she was also awarded Best Interior Design (1,500GT+).
4. The yacht evokes a Japanese-inspired design by French professionals
Approached with the intention of creating refined and homogenous spaces, Kenshō was the Parisian studio's first yacht project. Jouin Manku chose a serene and zen-inspired palette of natural tones and tactile finishes to bring lightness and interest in every room.
Japanese-inspired artwork features prominently in the master suite: sliding panels painted in soft blue reflect a Fuji-like mountain chain, while a subtle landscape motif continues through the dressing area. According to Manku, the various materials and tactile elements were informed by the seven-layered notion of Samurai armour with "steel on the outside that protected you" and finer materials on the inside "as you get closer to intimacy."
Still, traditional nautical elements were reflected in the ceiling relief that resembles a navigational chart's depth contours.
5. Her paint job was inspired by a car
Officially and eponymously named "Kenshō metallic", The Italian Sea Group vessel's vibrant hull was in fact inspired by a Ford Mustang colour from the 1960s. The colour was developed especially for the yacht, and also features in the metal work that cradles her 5.5-metre swimming pool.
6. The owner's ensuite facilities are a work of art
Aboard Kenshō, a tub is not only a place to bathe; it is art itself. The owner's en suite – a circular chamber – is styled around the central bathtub carved out of a solid block of Carrara marble, which seems to jut out from the floor. Even this ties in to the Japanese-inspired design, as Manku noted that the marble block "had big, beautiful veins running through it like Japanese calligraphy."
7. She recently made her global market debut
Having only been owned once since her delivery in 2022, Kenshō is making her global market debut. Presented in turnkey condition, the unmissable yacht is listed for sale with Will Christie of Christie Yachts – the broker who first sold her when he worked for Y.CO.
She is asking €124,500,000 and will be available to view, or simply admire, at the Palm Beach International Boat Show.
Read More/75m Admiral motor yacht Kenshō makes global market debut