Japanese War Artists ( Painters ) at Pacific War to bridge between soldiers in battlefronts & people in the homeland

During the pacific war, many painters were dispatched to battlefronts to draw the war. Their artworks tended to have realistic description instead of being propaganda-like, that helped people know soldiers' struggling far away from the home land. At exhibitions of their artworks, it is said some people wept standing before the paintings, thinking of their sons, fathers, husbands, brothers, friends...

[ 1940's Japanese Pacific War Art Postcard "Battle Front of Burma , Attack on Mandalay / paint work by Tamura Konosuke, Army-serving painter" ]

1940's Japanese Pacific War Battle Art Vintage Postcard "Surprise Attack & Occupation of Palembang ( Indonesia ) by Army Paratroops ( paint work by Tsuruta Goro, Army-serving painter ) to capture the oil resources.

1940's Japanese Pacific War Air Battle Art Vintage Postcard "Powerful ! Dive Bombing / paint work by Yoshioka Kenji, Army-serving painter "

1940's Japanese Pacific War Vintage Postcard " Battle of Wake Island " paint work by Army-serving painter Matsuzaka Kou for the Great East Asia War Art Exhibition held by Asahi News Paper

1940's Pacific War Japanese Army Art Postcard " 11 February"( Bukit Timah ) ( Battle of Singapore ) Tsuguharu Foujita

Gratitude to Military Animals ( War horses , War dogs ) / Imperial Japanese Army

[ 1939 Japanese Vintage Army Postcard Memorial for "The Exhibition of Gratitude to Military Animals" held by Higashi (East) Honganji (Buddhism Temple) ] supported by Ministry of Army

( my website category relating to military animals )

The Emperor Meiji's Waka (japanese poem) relating to military animals.

[ Horses ]
" If they were human, tokens of honor would have been given to them, Now those wild horses stand in the military garden." ( = the stone monument memorial for dead war animals)

To realize the Emperor's grace, in the 1930's, the decorations for not only horses but war dogs & pigeons have been established.
Also, army held Buddhist memorial services for dead military animals, that is still being practiced now every year at the Yasukuni Shinto Shrine.

[ 1930's Japanese Army Postcards for the War Horse Festival & the Beloved Horse Memorial Day. ]

[ 1923 Japanese Athlete , Sport Poster Art Postcard " The 6th Far Eastern Championship Games " vintage antique ]

1923 Japanese Athlete , Sport Poster Art Postcard " The 6th Far Eastern Championship Games "

Far Eastern Championship Games, proposed by American , Elwood Brown, the director of the YMCA in Asia region, the president of the Philippine Athletic Association, in the 1910's, appeared initially to be somewhat the international goodwill games, but later could not be free from much of political factors or even conflicts.

Japan unhappy about America's leadership in the Asia region for this game, China in protest against Manchukuo's participation, delicate relation between US & Philippines seeking independence, China - Japan war as we all know..etc..

Eventually the games got renamed & turned to the event for the Asia Unity led by Japan, gathering mainly Japan's puppet states.

1900's Japan to Welcome the US Navy Fleet ( Great White Fleet ) after Russo Japanese War

[1900's Japanese Vintage Postcard " Flower Train for Welcoming the US Navy Fleet ( Great White Fleet )" ]

related category in my website

Japan knew the Great White Fleet was somehow a demonstration of American Navy power rather than an international goodwill voyage, but Japan put priority on friendship with US, that helped Japan end the Russo Japanese war. 

And, along with the Britain-Japan alliance, people were happy seeing the world powers were on Japan's side, and they welcomed much this fleet.

Late 1900's Postcard Welcoming US Atlantic Fleet : Rear Admiral Charles Stillman Sperry & USS Minnesota

1908 Japanese Postcard Memorial for the Visit of the US Atlantic Fleet (Great White Fleet) / portraits of Theodore Roosevelt & the Meiji Emperor

Vintage Japanese Army Postcards : The Honorable Regiment Flags ( Japanese rising sun flag )

[1910's Japanese Army Postcard "The Regiment Flags in the 4th Division"]

Traditionally Japanese Army Regiments were very proud of worn flags like the two in top,proving they went through lots of fierce battles. They did not replace with new ones.
Flags were always in forefront in battles, and Each regiments had a special platoon for guarding the flag.
When they were likely to be altogether destroyed, they burned the flag before final charge in order for it not to be surrendered to the enemy.


[1920's Japanese Army Panoramic Postcard "Army Review Commemorative for the Emperor's Enthronement / The selected regiments & the honorable regiment flags"]

The honorable worn flags proving they went through lots of fierce battles, had the privilege to take front row close to the Emperor.

1905 Russo Japanese War Vintage Postcard with Art of Rising Sun & Japanese Mythological Bird / Commemorative for the Victory & Restored Peace with Portraits of Emperor Meiji , General Oyama Iwao & Admiral Togo Heihachiro

1905 Russo Japanese War Vintage Postcard with Art of Rising Sun & Japanese Mythological Bird / Commemorative for the Victory & Restored Peace with Portraits of Emperor Meiji , General Oyama Iwao & Admiral Togo Heihachiro

Northeast Asia Map upside down showing how Japan was seeing Russia's threat & the war was relevant to the conflict between Russian policy of southward expansion & Japan trying to stop it.

1930's Second Sino Japanese War ( China Japan War ) Menko Card Vintage Toy : Anti China Art " Capturing Chiang Kai shek" ( Chinese Nationalist Party ) & " The ( Chinese ) Communist Party to collapse "

[ 1930's Second Sino Japanese War ( China Japan War ) Menko Card Vintage Toy : Anti China Art " Capturing Chiang Kai shek" ( Chinese Nationalist Party ) & " The ( Chinese ) Communist Party to collapse " ]

Against both Chinese Nationalist Party & Chinese Communist Party,
So, this toy must have been made in the late 1930's, after the political combine in China called  "Kuomintang-Communist collaboration"" to fight Japan together.

1930's Boosting Importing American culture to Japan : Betty Boop , Popeye , Mickey Mouse Disney , Shirley Temple etc

Japan - US relation history is not only " war & postwar". Before the pacific war, both political & civilian cultural interactions were quite active. In the 1930's, a lot of US movies came to Japan and gained huge popularity. Especially, animations stunned Japanese people.
Betty Boop was called " Beti san " in Japan.

1930's Betty Boop ( Holding "Hagoita" ) & Mickey Mouse : Japanese New Year Greeting Postcard vintage antique

1930's Betty Boop , Mickey Mouse & Pluto : Japanese New Year Greeting Postcard vintage antique

1930's Betty Boop Japanese Menko Cards Vintage antique toys

1930's Popeye & Olive : Japanese New Year Greeting Postcard , vintage antique old card

Shirley Temple was very popular in the 1930's in Japan, too.

1930's Shirley Temple : Japanese New Yer Greeting Postcard , vintage antique old card

Some Japanese fan of Shirley Temple had privileges to meet her. She is giving a Japanese traditional doll.

1930's Shirley Temple & Japanese School Girl Giving Her Souvenirs : Japanese New Year Greeting Postcard , vintage antique old card

1930's Shirley Temple & Japanese Traditional Kimono Dolls given by her Japanese Fans : Japanese New Year Greeting Postcard , vintage antique old card