"Kawachi" was laid down on Slipway No. 2 at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal on 1 April 1909. Following the Japanese ship-naming conventions, "Kawachi" was named after Kawachi Province, now a part of Osaka prefecture. She was launched on 15 October 1910 in a ceremony attended by Emperor Meiji and completed on 31 March 1912 at a cost of ¥11,130,000. The following day she was assigned to the First Fleet and became the flagship of Vice Admiral Dewa Shigetō. On 3 October, the ship was present when the battleship had a fire that was started by a sailor in the forward magazine. It was flooded before the fire could get out of control and "Kawachi" sent over fire-fighting teams to assist "Mikasa"s crew in case they were needed. The ship cruised in the South China Sea in February 1913 and then off the north China coast in April; she became a private ship on 1 December. When World War I began in August 1914, "Kawachi" was at Yokosuka.