Kanto Air Defence Exercise

Data

Kanto Air Defence Exercise
Matchlabel set

Unknown
Unknown
1933

4.50 cm
6.00 cm

2020
00092
https://mokuhankan.com/collection/index.php?id_for_display=00092

Print is Public Domain; Photography is:   Creative Commons License

Description

A set of ten match label prints, together with the original envelope in which they were given out to the collectors.

The set of ten prints was produced in commemoration of the first Kanto Air Defense Exercise, which was held in Tokyo from August 9th to the 11th, 1933. Perhaps a need to educate the public about air raids and the need for blackouts influenced the designs, as the prints feature air defense weapons and technology such as searchlights, gasmasks, and anti-aircraft guns. The exercise took place two years after the end of the Manchurian Incident, four years before the war with China began, and eight years before Pearl Harbor.

The contrast between the yellow spotlights and the dark blue night is eye-catching, and the clean, straight lines of the lights also make a strong graphic impression. A metallic silver-grey pigment has been used for the weaponry, devices, and people on the ground in the blackout. Delicate bokashi gradation has been used on the envelope print to draw even more attention to the spotlights.

Another Search

Set of Sports Designs
Kabuki Chushingura Actors