Rare 1938 Original Photo Japanese Gunboat Navy Baseball Game Sino-Japanese War For Sale

Rare 1938 Original Photo Japanese Navy Gunboat Hira Baseball Game Yangtze China

Approximate size: 4.75 inches x 2.25 inches

This photo, taken by a Japanese soldier, depicts members of the Japanese Navy Gunboat Hira playing baseball on a day off along the Yangtze River in China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. This is a rare photo, one-of-a-kind. There are many photos of battle scenes and wartime backgrounds, but a baseball team made up of soldiers is a rare find, and it might be the only one in existence. I have other photos like this, so to see them, head to my store and do a search for them.

This photo, along with others, came from the estate of a Japanese veteran who served aboard Gunboat Hira (比良) from 1938-1939 during the Second Sino-Japanese War. According to the service record of Gunboat Hira, attached for reference (not included in the purchase), the ship served along the Yangtze River from 1938-1940.

It should also be noted that the clothing worn in many of the photos (green fatigues and soft field caps) were specifically meant for overseas wear in China at the time and would not be utilized on the Japanese home islands or south seas mandates. It's possible this photo was taken specifically in Hankou or Jiujiang, but unfortunately there is no further information to know that for certain.

The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan from 1937 to 1945, as part of World War II. In China, the war is called the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. This total war between China and the Empire of Japan is often regarded as the beginning of World War II in Asia, although some scholars consider the European War and the Pacific War to be entirely separate, albeit concurrent. It was the largest Asian war in the 20th century and has been described as "the Asian Holocaust", in reference to the scale of Imperial Japan's war crimes against Chinese civilians. After the Japanese attacks on Malaya and Pearl Harbor in 1941, the war merged with other conflicts which are generally categorized under the China Burma India Theater of World War II.

Please inspect the pictures, as they give the best representation of condition.May have discoloring, edge or corner wear, marks, creases, fading, smudges, corner or edge bends, tears, or corners missing.

(A180 inventory number)