Yasukuni no emaki - Japan. Rikugunshō. Jōhōbu; Japan. Kaigunshō. Gunji Fukyūbu; Japan. Rikugunshō; Japan. Kaigunshō (Tōkyō : Rikugun Bijutsu Kyōkai : Gunji Shisō Fukyūkai : Yasukuni Jinja Rinji Taisai Iinkai, 1939)
[1]. Shōwa 14-nen 4-gatsu -- [2]. Shōwa 14-nen 10-gatsu -- [3]. Shōwa 15-nen shunki taisai kinen -- [4]. Shōwa 15-nen shūki taisai kinen -- [5]. Shōwa 16-nen shunki taisai kinen -- [6]. Shōwa 16-nen shūki taisai kinen -- [7]. Shōwa 17-nen shunki taisai kinen -- [8]. Shōwa 17-nen shūki taisai kinen -- [9]. Shōwa 18-nen shunki taisai kinen -- [10]. Shōwa 18-nen shūki taisai kinen -- [11]. Shōwa 19-nen shunki taisai kinen -- [12]. Shōwa 19-nen shūki taisai kinen.
Not for sale.
This series was created in 1940 under the order of Hideki Tōjō. It is named after the Imperial Shrine of Yasukuni ("Peaceful Country"), the famous Shinto shrine founded by Emperor Meiji in 1869 honouring those who died in service of the Japanese empire. Following in the tradition of the shrine, copies of each volume of this series were presented seasonally at the Autumn and Spring grand festivals to the relatives of fallen soldiers. Each book features a series of illustrations relating to events in the war by famous artists of the time, thus this complete set is a unique artistic and political chronology of the war as seen from the Japanese side; including a number of battles and locales around China, Hong Kong, French Indochina, Dutch East Indies, India, Australia and the Pacific. Some Battles are highlighted in the series, such as "The Battle of Lake Khasan" in 1938 between Japan and Japanese occupied Manchukuo VS Soviet Union. Publicly the illustrations were intended to comfort the spirits of the dead, however the argument could be made that the illustrations instead glorify and honour their actions. Much controversy still surrounds this shrine, and these picture books are just one example of the relationship between the military and religious institutions of the time. Includes colour folding panorama of the "divine land" [神州], a name refering to ancient China; some black and white photographic illustrations.
Keywords: World War, 1939-1945 -- Japan -- Pictorial works