[ITO, AIJIRO, EDITED BY]. 伊藤愛次郎編輯.

大東亞決戰下隣組月暦. [Daitōa sensenka tonarigumi getsureki].<BR> [Monthly Calendar for a Neighbourhood Group during the Great East Asian War]

東京. [Tokyo]. 田中宋栄堂. [Tanaka Soeido]. Showa 18 [ 1943]. Stock ID #224659

12pp, 21 x 29.5cm, map on colour card cover, cord hanger, lower cover and inside covers a little foxed, paper evenly browned. A good copy of a scarce ephemeral item, complete and unused.

This monthly calendar for 1943 conveys a sense of urgency on the Japanese home front. Calendars of this kind were distributed to members of the Tonarigumi (隣組, neighbourhood associations) to record meetings, ration distributions and other communal activities. These groups coordinated wartime responsibilities among neighbours, including the distribution of food and training in firefighting.

The colour front cover places Japan at the centre of a map of surrounding regions, extending south to Australia, with a list of planned activities in the lower right corner. Each monthly page provides spaces to record application deadlines for daily necessities, ration distribution dates, neighbourhood meetings and training sessions. Propaganda slogans printed along both margins urge thrift and perseverance, including “Stop wasting money on luxuries so that we can overcome the emergencies”. Two holes at the top allow the calendar to be hung on a wall.

Combining practical organisation with wartime exhortation, the calendar offers an insight into the regulation of everyday life and the demands placed on civilians. Its emphasis on economy, preparedness and collective responsibility suggests anticipation of an increasingly difficult year.

When referring to this item please quote stockid 224659.

Price: $275.00 AU

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