Prewar Imperial Japanese Army 5th Division China Expedition Photo Album 1932 For Sale

DescriptionThis is an original 1932 Japanese military photo album titled “Commemorative Photo Album of the Temporary Expeditionary Force to China.”Published on June 15, 1932 by the Chugoku Shimbun newspaper company, this was a non-commercial publication documenting Japanese Army units sent to China during a period of rapidly escalating military tension in East Asia.A particularly important feature is its connection to the Imperial Japanese Army 5th Division and the 41st Infantry Regiment based in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture.The album includes a roster headed:“Temporary Expeditionary Force to China – List of Officers and Men – 41st Infantry Regiment (Fukuyama)”This means the book does not merely show anonymous military photographs. It preserves the actual names of officers and soldiers who took part in the deployment.The many gravure photographs show troops in formation, transportation by rail and ship, field camps, communications work, group scenes, military activities, and everyday life during the expedition.The historical timing is especially significant.This album was produced in 1932, only months after the 1931 Manchurian Incident and in the same year as the First Shanghai Incident. It therefore comes from the period when Japan’s military involvement on the Asian continent was rapidly expanding.Unlike a postwar history book, this album was created during the events themselves.The cover features the Japanese national flag and gold lettering reading:“Temporary Expeditionary Force to China – Commemorative Photo Album.”A handwritten inscription dated 1932 remains near the front, while a cursive signature, likely belonging to an early owner, appears at the rear.Because this was marked as a non-sale publication, it was not intended as an ordinary commercial photo book. It appears to have been produced for participants, military personnel, or people closely connected with the expedition.More than ninety years later, the names, faces, movements, and daily lives of these soldiers remain preserved together in one volume.This is not simply an old military photo book. It is a surviving visual record of the Imperial Japanese Army at a critical turning point in modern East Asian history.Own a Piece of History.Shipping

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