[SUZUKI GYOSUI, AND SHIBUYA SHIGEO] 鈴木御水及び渋谷重雄.

ツエッペリン世界一周双六. [Tsuepperin sekai Isshū sugoroku].<BR> [Zeppelin Around the World Tour Sugoroku Game].

東京. [Tokyo]. 實業之日本社. [Jitsugyō no Nihonsha]. Showa 5 [ 1930]. Stock ID #223765

Colour folding game sheet with a colourful Zeppelin Around the World sugoroku with counters printed on lower margin on one side, an athletic themed game on the reverse, 54 x 78.5cm.

In 1929, the LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin undertook its celebrated round-the-world flight, stopping at Kasumigaura Airfield between 19 and 23 August before crossing the Pacific Ocean. The arrival of the airship attracted enormous attention in Japan. More than 300,000 people reportedly came to see it, while many others, including the Emperor, hoped to catch a glimpse of the great ship in the sky. This 1930 sugoroku game sheet, issued as a supplement to the January 1930 issue of the boys’ magazine Nihon Shōnen (日本少年), reflects the feverish excitement generated by the Zeppelin’s visit.

The game begins in Tokyo, with players boarding the Zeppelin for a round-the-world tour. It flies over Siberia, the North Pole, Africa, the South Pole, New York and Hawaii before returning to Tokyo. The real flight, of course, began and ended in New Jersey rather than Tokyo. In the course of the game, the airship encounters various dangers and mishaps, including mechanical problems, wildfires and pirate ships. This must have made for an exciting game for young boys at the time, combining imagined aerial adventure with a strong element of nationalism, as at the goal the pilot holds a fluttering Japanese military flag in a triumphant pose. On the reverse is printed a second board game with an athletic theme.

When referring to this item please quote stockid 223765.

Price: $400.00 AU

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