WWII Imperial Japanese Battle of Shanghai Dachang Memorial Photos 1938
This is an original commemorative photograph set issued for the completion of the Dachang Memorial Tower near Shanghai in December 1938. The original paper folder is clearly inscribed: “Commemoration of the Completion of the Dachang Memorial Tower” “December 1938″ The set contains two period photographs: one showing the memorial tower from close range, and another showing it in the distance beyond the landscaped approach. The historical significance of this location is particularly important. Dachang was one of the major battlefields of the 1937 Battle of Shanghai, where Japanese and Chinese forces fought fiercely during one of the largest and bloodiest campaigns of the early Sino-Japanese War. Approximately one year later, a memorial tower was constructed there to honor the Japanese soldiers who had died in the fighting. In other words, the quiet and carefully landscaped landscape seen in these photographs had been an active battlefield only about a year earlier. That contrast is what makes this set especially compelling. At first glance, the photographs show a peaceful road, newly planted trees, and a white monument rising above the surrounding ground. But knowing what had occurred there only months earlier completely changes how the images are perceived. This is therefore more than simply a pair of prewar photographs of Shanghai. It is a surviving document showing how a battlefield was transformed into a place of remembrance shortly after the fighting had ended. Another important feature is that the photographs remain together with their original commemorative folder, identifying: the location: Dachang the purpose: completion of the memorial tower the date: December 1938 the original two-photo set The photographs show age-related wear. They appear to have been stuck together at some point in the past, resulting in areas of surface loss. One photograph also has a strong vertical crease. Please carefully examine the photographs for condition. They are certainly not in pristine condition. However, for a historical document approaching 90 years of age, these traces of survival are also part of its history. These are not combat photographs. Instead, they document something equally revealing: how the memory of the battle was physically shaped and preserved immediately afterward. An unusual historical piece for collectors interested in the Battle of Shanghai, the Second Sino-Japanese War, Imperial Japanese military history, wartime China, battlefield memorials, or original photographic material. Only about a year before these photographs were taken, this quiet landscape had been a battlefield. In December 1938, these two photographs recorded the newly completed memorial that stood in its place. Own a Piece of History. International Buyers – Please Note.