I picked up an interesting, period, art-book of Japanese military war-art.  Thought I would share a few examples from the book.  Evidently these books were given to the families of deceased soldiers, so as to keep the fervor sharp.  Interesting I think.

Were these books given to the families right after the death of a loved one?  I would think that would be the last thing I would want if one of my family members were killed in the war, but it does fit the military culture that the Japanese government was pushing back then. 

I remember a scene from "Letters from Iwo Jima" when the main character is drafted, and all the neighbors expect him and his wife to be exited about it, when they really knew it was a death sentence.

The pictures are very interesting Ardito, thanks for taking the time to put them on this forum.  Were there any captions to go along with these pictures?

Hi Scotters,

  Thanks for the interest.  Yes, I think strange to Western Culture, but "ok" with collective Japanese "war-think" of this period.  They were given to families after a loved one died within the military.  The best artists of the period were selected to paint various scenes.  I have about three of these books and they all have similar motifs.  The earlier Japanese "blitzkrieg" through the Pacific was covered adnauseum for obvious reasons during the war.  It's interesting, that collector's in Japan put little value on these war-art books and very few collect them in the States.  I think they are quite beautiful.  Thanks for the post.

  Best, Ardito