Saturday, August 15, 2026

Imperial Japan Military Stationary - 1936

IMPERIAL JAPAN WWII-era military/patriotic postal card (gunjū yūbin / egaki-hagaki) features a green postage stamp depicting Kusunoki Masashige on horseback (1.5 sen Kankō stamp) and an official Japanese pictorial postmark (fūkei-in) from the Ikoma Post Office (Ikoma-den, Nara prefecture) dated 23 April 1936  (Shōwa era).

The postcard was addressed in black calligraphy to a recipient in a military unit designation, likely 歩兵オムラ部隊 (Infantry Omura Unit) and 步兵砲隊 (Infantry Artillery Unit) who was stationed in 村瀬 銀蔵 (Murase Ginzou).

Murase Ginzou was a Japanese military medical/衛生 (sanitary) unit that served during the Second Sino-Japanese War, recorded in unit archives such as the 38th Division Sanitary Unit history (Dai-sanjūhachi Shidan Eiseitashi). Personnel like Murase Ginzou were tied to troop movements across China and Hong Kong operations following initial escalations that began with the Japanese invasion of Manchuria/Manchukuo.

At the bottom of the card is a handwritten message in red ink expressing prayers for good fortune in battle and safe return (buun chōkyū), visiting a local shrine (Kokufū/Ikutama shrine), signed by a sender from Gifu City (Miho Ota), alongside a colour print of a traditional Japanese court or deity figure holding a fan.

The reverse side of the postcard has two images: at the top, is a traditional stylised seal (Ten-sho) script; and at the bottom, a red commemorative stamp from Osaka railway Station (大阪駅) is dated 11. 4. 23 (23 April 1936 / Showa 11), overlaid on a stylised graphic design.

Postcards like this one were common in 1930s Japan as patriotic stationery sent to soldiers deployed in mainland Asia during the prelude to and during WWII.

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