Although never completed due to the Washington Naval Treaty, the IJN Tosa event ship is, in my opinion, the best Japanese high tier ship in the game.
If you are looking for a ship to level the last few tiers in the Japanese blue water tree, it’s definitely worth picking up on the market. It has the great guns of the Amagi and Mutsu while having much better armor. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a magazine detonation, and shell room detonations are rare.
It has no AA protection to speak of, but let’s face it, neither do most Japanese ships as the 25mm guns are wholly inadequate unless in laughably huge numbers.
Crew size is more than adequate being the same as the Mutsu. Speed is the same as Mutsu and only 7 km/h slower than Amagi. It’s also surprisingly maneuverable for a ship of its size and age.
As mentioned, the 410mm guns with 24 second ace reload are a pleasure to use. They hit hard, have plenty of penetration, and decent explosive filler. The .05 second fuse delay is also good for post pen damage.
With lack of AA being its only real weakness, you can feel confident taking her into battle against even most 8.7 ships. It’s a good candidate for a talisman, and even un-spaded will do very well after unlocking the first APC shell.
Given the current state of Yamato and Musashi, I would much rather play the Tosa, as it’s a very fun and capable ship. The Tosa, Mutsu, Amagi lineup is one of the best in the game, if not the best, at 8.0.