Boycott Japanese Toys

[Shinpachi]

Thanks for your so many kind and educational comments everyone !
There are tons of interesting historical pictures in the archives but my slight regret would be that most of them do not necessarily show exact dates and locations. For example, this picture also interests me but the date/location is unknown. I only estimate this would have been taken before 1938 as their uniforms belong to older version. It is my great joy to estimate though

 

[GrauGeist]

That is a great photo, Shinpachi!

Is there any way possible to enlarge the photo so as to read the inscriptions on the flag?

Perhaps that might help with identification.

 

[Shinpachi]

Thanks for your advice, Dave !
It's hard to ID but the situation looks like a shot of military funeral.
It would be fun if the flag was my grandfather's as he was a KIA in 1937

 

[GrauGeist]

I am sorry to hear of your Grandfather's passing, Shinpachi

My Grandfather was U.S. Cavalry in World War I, had his foot nearly shot off but survived the battle and returned home, to pass away years later, in 1960.

 

[Shinpachi]

When I and my family was watching American movie "Combat !" on TV, Sgt Saunders was pretending to die on the ground to cheat Germans.
My mother suddenly shouted "That's it, my sons ! Don't die in the war !"

 

[michaelmaltby]

And you've managed that, Shin. Touch wood.

 

[pbehn]

The churchmen might have described themselves as socialists, but I doubt communists or Bolsheviks and even less likely Marxists.

Having lived most of my life with the Rev. Ian Paisley on the T.V. I think a churchman can be what they want to be, they are all very good with words and messages. The Marxist ideal "from each according to their abilities and to each according to their need" can strike a chord in the Christian church.

My wife's parents married during the war, he was Protestant and she was Catholic. Her priest visited while hubby was away in a submarine to tell her that "all children of this marriage will be b@astards" Upon his return from service my father in law gave said priest two black eyes and a broken nose. In the days before TV microphones and social media I think people were much more outspoken.

 

[pbehn]

Looking at the photos again I think it is a stunt by a toy shop or toy maker, almost all the people shown are middle aged and seemingly quite well off women, maybe they mugged the vicars to get involved with a promise of an extra slice of Victoria sponge after tea.

 

[stona]

A date would be good. I've seen images of similar protests in Britain dated as early as 1931, immediately after the Japanese invasion of China. This seems too early, dates given are not always correct.
This was certainly not a stunt, but an ongoing series of protests against Japan. There seems to be very little information about this on the public domain.
Cheers
Steve

 

[Shinpachi]

So many informative posts again. Thanks.
I'm also impressed with British people's kindness like this placard

 

[pbehn]

So many informative posts again. Thanks.
I'm also impressed with British people's kindness like this placard

View attachment 353244

You should not be surprised Shinpachi, the British people had and have a positive impression of the Japanese and Japan had been a big customer of British battle ships etc. In the early 1900s many new parks were made and some had "oriental gardens" here is one from near my home built in 1911
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=p...jPlV5pjxYRo-YSPQA#q=peasholm+park+garden+pics.

However if you look up various links about it, some say it is Japanese style and others say it is Chinese style, I doubt if the people making these gardens had any idea of the difference.

Similarly in UK there was a tradition (not so common now) of "Christmas oranges" these were/are called "mandarins" or "satsumas"
Mandarin orange - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Citrus unshiu - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mandarin obviously refers to China and Satsuma to a region in Japan but there is no guarantee as to where they actually come from since both types are grown in both countries we simply dont know the difference. Similarly without knowing all that was going on it probably seemed that two nations which we liked and had much in common were getting dragged into a tragic conflic.

 

[michaelmaltby]

... and a great fondness for painted lacquer-wood trays and artwork from Japan.

Within days of the Armistice in 1945 American ships put in for deck repairs to wooden-deck vessels ... the sailors watching were awed by the craftsmanship and hand tools the Japanese crew brought to their work.

 

[Shinpachi]

Awesome oriental garden and cultural exchange through citrus between two countries, pbehn.
And Thanks for sharing interesting information, MM.

 

[pbehn]

Awesome oriental garden and cultural exchanges through citrus between two countries, pbehn.
And Thanks for sharing interesting information, MM.

Shinpachi, it was not until I was working with Japanese in Saudi Arabia in 1985 that I learned Satsuma was a region in Japan, I thought it was a Japanese word for "Orange"

 

[Shinpachi]

Good knowledge, pbehn.
Yes, Satsuma region is today's Kagoshima Prefecture (South-end of Kyusyu and neighbour of Okinawa).
Hundreds years ago, people in Satsuma found new type citrus which is a mutation of Mandarin citrus.
We call it Unshu mikan. Yes, mikan means citrus or orange in my country.

 

[vikingBerserker]

The amount of textiles being exported is pretty interesting, but I am amazed at the ships being exported right after the war.

 

[Shinpachi]

Good eyes, David
After the war was over, industries like steel, coal and ship building were given top priorities to recover by the government.
Korean War also gave them big chance to grow.

 

[Shinpachi]

Japanese during Korean War.
Toyota, Mitsubishi, Kawasaki etc and pre-JSDF.

 

[MiTasol]

"Interesting observations on Japanese opinion of the period, Shin. But Japanese leadership misread America again and again, right up to December 7, 1941. FDR was merely reflecting America's sympathy and empathy for China and its people .... and this view the legacy of American Christian missionaries in China and the vision described by "Good Earth" author, Pearle Buck.

America's view of China was diametrically opposed to Japan's view of China .... its culture, values, etc. etc. And one must recognize that Japan-China had a long, complex, violent history with each other that was beyond anything that Christian America was prepared to understand.

Japan misread America and this resulted in strategic mistakes, IMO.

I would suggest the exact opposite is even more true. Partially as a result of its refusal to consider the long history between China and Japan, America misread Japan and this resulted in strategic mistakes.

America, and most other countries, knew that, like the Americans themselves, the Japanese were a very proud and nationalistic people. The battle of Port Arthur in 1904 also showed their military skill and many lessons for Pearl Harbor were included in that battle (and incorrect information regarding the defences caused critical mistakes in both cases)

History suggests that FDR and his people never once asked themselves the crucial question What would WE do if some other nation cut off all our access to oil, rubber and other civil and military necessities?

The answer of course is Come out fighting

 

[Shinpachi]

Yes, Chinese great culture and history had been fascinating Japanese people (especially leaders, scholars and samurai's) for more than a thousand years. Chinese Classics "Three Kingdoms", "The Analects of Confucius" and "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, above all, were basic knowledge which Japanese youths should learn at school for centuries. My old teacher of Chinese classics class was a very expert of them but regrettably lost popularity in the postwar. However, recent Japanese media recommends people to learn them again to understand the traditional behavior pattern of Chinese government because it always stands on these classics.

BTW, I don't doubt IJA Generals could have wanted to be a hero like the characters of "Three Kingdoms" - a dynamic war story series of the ancient time. That is a remote cause and example of power game in Asia.