24 国民防空図譜 (Kokumin Boku Zufu) [National Air Defense Maps] : 国民防空図譜 (Kokumin Boku Zufu) [National Air Defense Maps]

Showa 19 [1944].

"An extraordinary object that combines militaristic propaganda and public education with remarkable information design. Shortly before and during the Second World War, the great powers Italy, Russia and Japan in particular published much material that raised an initially dry topic to a high aesthetic and propagandistic standard with strong persuasive power through outstanding graphic design. Unfortunately, the Japanese contribution to this “alternative” history of graphic design has not been sufficiently appreciated to date. This large-format (755 x 515 mm) publication, complete with all pages, from the Dainihon Bōkū Hōkokukai (Great Japan Air Defense Association) provides an important building block for this aspect of graphic design history. With its 35 colour lithographic plates, it illustrates all aspects of the air raids carried out by the US Air Force and the air and civil defense derived from them. Air raids by the United States Armed Forces began on a large scale from mid-1944 and increased in scope and intensity, particularly during the final months of the war. Despite pre-war planning, the U.S. Army Air Forces could not begin scheduled strategic bombing until it received the technically superior B-29 bomber. An independent air fleet, the Twentieth Air Force, was created specifically for this type. From June 1944 to January 1945, the B-29 units were stationed in British India and from there flew to Japan, with refueling stops in the non-Japanese-occupied part of China. However, these long-haul flights turned out to be ineffective. From November 1944, strategic bombing was significantly expanded after the Mariana Islands were conquered and the airfields there became available. The attacks were initially aimed primarily at industrial facilities and, from March 1945, were generally aimed at urban areas. Carrier-based bombers – launched after the capture of Okinawa – also attacked Japan in 1945 in preparation for the invasion of the main islands planned for October 1945. Japan's military and civil defense were unable to stop the Allied airstrikes. The number of fighter planes and anti-aircraft guns stationed on the main islands turned out to be too small. To make matters worse, most of the types of aircraft and guns used could not reach the altitude at which the B-29s flew. Other reasons for the ineffectiveness of the Japanese fighter squadrons were a lack of fuel, poor pilot training and a lack of coordination between the individual units. Despite the threat to Japanese cities from firebombing, Japanese fire protection units had inadequate equipment and poor training. Likewise, there were only a few air raid shelters available for the civilian population. These weaknesses allowed the Allies to extensively destroy many Japanese cities and suffer only minor casualties. In contrast, this publication from the late phase of the air raids suggests a state of well-organized and functioning protection of the civilian population. In addition to graphically attracting processes enriched by pictograms (e.g. in the event of a bomb alarm, bombing or major fire), the plates also contain, among others, intuitive options for fire prevention and fighting, darkening of buildings and important first aid measures, depictions of the dangers posed by, for example, damaged and collapsed buildings and electricity. Particularly impressive are the visualizations of the destructive power of different bombs (plates 22 and 26), protective measures against smoke and poison gas attacks (plate 23) and the (sometimes overestimated) possibilities of their own air defense with the iconic Mount Fuji as a reference point (plate 5). One map also shows the radius of action of enemy air forces (Plate 2), while another plate illustrates the warring parties' aircraft types (with the B-29 used by the US Air Force) and their capabilities (Plate 1). As often with graphically designed propaganda works, here only the Japanese civil defense organizer is named as the author and publisher. The quality of the design and the extraordinarily high manufacturing quality - especially under the influence of war - still fascinate viewers today. At the same time, the work refers thematically to the unfortunately everlasting aspect of the geopolitical disputes and military conflicts of the present with their great destruction and human suffering. Works of this kind were only issued to a few local bodies during the war, used in appropriate rooms for training purposes and were quickly destroyed after Japan's surrender in August 1945, if they had not already been lost due to the war. Therefore, their survival rate can be classified as extremely low and copies almost never appear in trade or at auctions. Only one copy can be found worldwide in the National Diet Library in Tokyo (OCLC 673478145; with wrong dimensions). Complete with title page, all 35 colour lithographed plates, the colophon and the original bamboo shaft for mounting purposes. A remarkable fresh and clean copy with only very light signs of usage to the title, colophon page and mounting shaft with some additional modern strings. Colours and plates are very bright and clear. An exceptional piece of historical importance and information design. (Martin Nell, 2024)

National Diet Library in Tokyo (OCLC 673478145; with wrong dimensions).