Japan War History From ART Perspective: January 2016

Sunday, January 31, 2016

Monday, January 11, 2016

Second Sino-Japanese War : The War against China never denied Japan's interest in Chinese culture.

In the late 1930's, Japan was at war against China, yet, its deep interest in Chinese culture was never lost, as it had been lasting since the ancient time.

(Related link in my collection website)
http://japanwarart.ocnk.net/product-list/60

My collection on this subject is inclined towards "Propaganda-like",
yet, it is true many postcards or other art materials on Chinese culture were published in Japan at that time, being away from hostility to China as an enemy country.

Very different from what was happening in the Pacific Wartime.




"Attitude Instructions to Japanese soldiers visiting The Temple of Mencius"
"Attitude Instructions to Japanese soldiers visiting Temple of Mencius"


1 : Mencius, along with Confucius, is the historical person most respected by Chinese people. 
Also, he is our great benefactor for the Japanese spiritual culture.

2 : Therefore, visitors to his temple should be modest in acting just the same way as we do to temples & shrines in Japan.

3 : You soldiers should never forget that your
moral behaviors in this place will contribute to raising the honor of the Imperial Army & putting  familiarity to us in mind of Chinese people 
far more than the activities of our pacification teams.

by Tsugawa, The Unit Commander


"Notice" (about the Yungang Grottoes)
 "Notice" (about the Yungang Grottoes)

"The Yungang Grottoes is the worldwide famed historic site.
Army takes an effort in protecting it. Any looters and destroyers, even Japanese soldiers,  shall be severely punished according to the the martial law."













Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Resource-Consuming "All-Out War" Needed High-Impact Artworks

These are typical 1900's Russo Japanese Wartime artworks, with some taste of Edo Era's Ukiyoe or Nishiki-e


These are 1930's Second Sino Japanese War National Bonds Advertising Artworks.




In the late 1930's, Japan was dragged into the quagmire of the Second Sino-Japanese War, consuming national resources far more than the war against Russia in 1900's.

Art might not have been allowed to have some luxury to be just ART itself & to be away from working hard in order to "convey firmly" something to people.

The government needed their people's more attentions to the war, 
using artworks with some unpredictability and impact to people of that time.
The Center of Japan is not Edo, but Tokyo. The Edo Era was literally gone.

I am not an expert in the art history and unable to speak about it from that perspective.
No wonder a world art trend had changed and that affected Japanese art.

Yet, politics apparently took much role in changing Japanese war art trend, I think.
The above 1930's artworks really are working & acting so hard to convey something important and trying to drive people where they were supposed to go to at that war time.

As for my preference.... I like both Russo Japanese war style & the 1930's ones.



Monday, January 4, 2016

My YouTube movies relating to Japanese war art Russo Japanese War Land Battles / General Nogi Maresuke / Russo Japanese War Sea Battles ( Battle of Tsushima & Port Arthur / Japanese Girls in War Art / Japanese Army Tank Art

My YouTube movies relating to Japanese war art

Russo Japanese War Land Battles / General Nogi Maresuke / Russo Japanese War Sea Battles ( Battle of Tsushima & Port Arthur / Japanese Girls in War Art / Japanese Army Tank Art