Vintage Japanese Propaganda Books 1931-1972 - Rare Historical Collectibles for WWII Research & Asian Studies

Product Description

How did the Japanese see themselves from 1931 to 1972? Even more importantly, how did the Japanesewant the rest of the world to see them during those four pivotal decades? This controversial, unprecedentedbook, selected from a massive private collection of magazines and newspapers, takes an in-depth lookat the information, news, photos and advertisements used in Japanese propaganda books, illustratingthe radical sociopolitical evolution of the nation and culture throughout that period of the 20th century. Propaganda is defined here as publications promoting political, military and cultural ideas, rangingfrom national magazines such as Nippon and Front (with a feature on Japan s crack airborne paratroopunits ) to corporate documents that include a beautifully designed brochure on the facilities for the 1964Tokyo Olympic Games. The Japanese have been notably slow to acknowledge the excesses and atrocitiesof the militaristic regime that led the nation into World War II; this elegantly designed book combats thatresistance and opens a door to show what the government and corporate communicators were feeding tothe public at the time. It also reveals the roots of Japan s unique modern design aesthetic in the work ofsome of the nation s finest graphic artists.Iconic Japanese graphic designers and photograpers featured include Takashi Kono, Fumio Yamana,Yusaku Kamekura, Goro Kumada, Shihachi Fujimoto and Hiromu Hara in graphic design and Ihei Kimura,Yonosuke Natori Yoshio Watanabe, Ken Domon and Hiroshi Hamaya in photography.