WWII Imperial Japanese Army Air Force Aviation School Maps 17pc Set
This is a remarkable set of 17 prewar Japanese military-related maps associated with Imperial Japanese Army aviation schools. What makes this group especially interesting is not simply the age of the maps, but the institutional markings preserved on them. Several maps bear official library stamps including those of the Tokorozawa Army Flying School and the Imperial Japanese Army Air Academy, institutions connected with the training and education of Japanese Army aviation personnel. Tokorozawa holds an important place in Japanese aviation history as the site of Japan's first military airfield. As the Imperial Japanese Army rapidly expanded its air arm during the 1930s, its aviation training system was also reorganized and developed to educate pilots and aviation officers. These are therefore more than ordinary antique maps. The surviving military-school stamps provide physical evidence that the maps were once held and managed within Japan's Army aviation education system. The maps depict locations within Japan. Place names visible among them include Sanbongi, Enoshima, and Osawa, and at least one map is dated 1926 (Taisho 15). Some maps also retain blue handwritten lines and annotations.
Their exact purpose cannot be confirmed, so I do not wish to speculate, but together with the institutional stamps they provide fascinating traces of how these maps were actually handled during the period. Another particularly interesting feature is the presence of stamps from different Army aviation schools. During the 1930s, the Japanese Army greatly expanded and reorganized its aviation training institutions. The combination of markings found within this group may reflect that changing institutional history.
When we think of Imperial Japanese Army aviation, we usually think first of fighters, bombers, and pilots. But before an aviator could fly an operational aircraft, he had to learn to read maps, understand terrain, and navigate. These maps survive from that less visible side of military aviation-the classrooms and training institutions that produced the men who flew the aircraft. The fact that 17 related maps have survived together makes this an especially interesting group for collectors and researchers of Japanese military aviation, military cartography, and prewar aviation education. Please examine the photographs carefully for condition, markings, annotations, and individual map details. Own a Piece of History. International Buyers - Please Note.