Description“Captain Kojiro Nishizumi and His Alma Mater, Mifune Middle School”
Published by Kumamoto Prefectural Mifune Middle School
1939
Not for Sale / Privately DistributedThis is a prewar Japanese memorial biography dedicated to Captain Kojiro Nishizumi, an Imperial Japanese Army tank officer who was killed during the Second Sino-Japanese War.For collectors unfamiliar with Nishizumi, one question may come first:Why was he called a “War God”?In prewar Japan, the term “Gunshin” or “War God” was not a military rank. It was an honorific used for fallen servicemen who were publicly remembered as symbols of courage, loyalty, and sacrifice.Nishizumi became one of the best-known examples.He served as a tank commander in China and was killed in action in 1938. After his death, his military career and personal character were widely commemorated in Japan, and he came to be presented as an ideal military hero.What makes this book especially interesting is that it was published by Nishizumi’s own former school only about one year after his death.The colophon clearly states:Published June 17, 1939 — Not for SaleThis was therefore not an ordinary commercial biography sold through bookstores, but a privately distributed memorial publication connected directly to his alma mater.The book includes photographs of Nishizumi in uniform, his family, his school, and wartime scenes from China. It also traces his childhood, school years, military education, character, and career as an army officer.Another important point for collectors is Nishizumi’s connection to Imperial Japanese Army armored forces.Japan did operate tanks extensively in China and other theaters, but armored troops formed a smaller and more specialized branch than the mass infantry forces of the Army. Because of this, period material connected to a named Japanese tank officer is encountered less often than more general infantry-related material.This volume is therefore interesting not only as a biography, but also as a contemporary record of how a real tank officer was remembered and transformed into a national wartime hero.A strong reference piece for collectors and researchers of:Imperial Japanese Army
Japanese tank forces
Second Sino-Japanese War
Kojiro Nishizumi
Prewar military education
Japanese wartime memorial culture563 pages. Published in 1939. Privately distributed and marked “Not for Sale.”Own a Piece of History.Shipping
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Provided by HARU
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