Patriotic March
(between 1937 and 1941)
IHL Cat. #2675
Description
A color lithograph patriotic fan sample print, likely created between 1937 and 1941 during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)[1], with an iconic aerial view of the sun rising over Mount Fuji. A military aircraft punctuates the first two stanzas of the "Patriotic March" (愛国行進曲 Aikoku Kōshinkyoku). This military song (gunka) was composed by Tōkichi Setoguchi 瀬戸口藤吉 (1868-1941) with lyrics by Yukio Morikawa 森川幸雄 (?-2003), in response to a government sponsored public competition for a "national song that the people will forever love to sing" in September 1937.[2] Immensely popular, "Patriotic March" was released in December 1937 on six record labels and sold over a million copies within a year.[3] The lyrics, shown below, evoke imagery of daybreak with a new start for East Asia under Japanese control under the slogal of Hakkō Ichiu (八紘一宇), "All Eight Corners of the World under One Roof."
1.
見よ東海の空明けて
旭日高く輝けば
天地の正気溌剌と
希望は躍る大八洲
おお清朗の朝雲に
聳ゆる富士の姿こそ
金瓯無欠揺ぎなき
我が日本の誇なれ
2.
起て一系の大君を
光と永遠に戴きて
臣民我ら皆共に
御稜威に副わん大使命
ゆけ 八紘を宇となし
四海の人を導きて
正しき平和打ち建てん
理想は花と咲き薫る[4]
1.
Look at the bright eastern sky,
The sun rises high;
The true spirits of the sky and the earth
fill all the hearts of Oyashima.
Beyond the clouds of dawn
Fuji's peak rises.
Unwavering and beautiful,
It brings pride to my Japan.
2.
He who reigns in power and virtue
Is our unbroken light.
All of us subjects shall follow
And accomplish our great mission.
Carry forth the eight cords across the universe,
Guide the peoples of the four seas.
Let us build a tower of true peace
So our ideal shall bloom like a flower!
The print carries the sample catalog number そ印 參百五拾壹號 (so in sanbyaku go jū ichi gō [351]). These numbered fan prints (uchiwa-e 団扇絵) were gathered into a sample book (uchiwa mihonchō 団扇見本帳, or uchiwa gachō 団扇画帖.) to show wholesale customers the range of available designs.
See IHL Cat. #2671 for another fan sample print bearing the first stanza of Patriotic March.
Note: Transcriptions and translations are my own unless otherwise noted.
[1] The Second Sino-Japanese War is referred to in China as the "War of Resistance Against Japan."
[2] Translation of 「国民が永遠に愛唱し得べき国民歌」Japan wikipedia https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%9B%BD%E6%B0%91%E6%AD%8C [accessed 9-15-23]
[3] It is unclear whether each of the original six record companies releasing the song sold over a million copies in the first year of release or whether this is a combined number.
[4] Transcription from Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aikoku_K%C5%8Dshinkyoku [accessed 11-14-23]
Print Details
