1947 Japanese Map of the Pacific War showing Defeat of Japan

A rare piece, this is Showa 22 or 1947 separate-issue Ueno Rokuo map is one of the few maps issued in Japan following the World War II Pacific War (1941 - 1945) to specifically illustrate Japan's defeat. The map reflects the combat history between Allied forces and the Japanese in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific during the counter-offensive phase of World War II, including the Soviet offensive route in the northeast, the counter-offensive route in China, and the offensive route of American troops in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. Red arrows illustrate Allied movements, and blue, Japanese movement. The table includes statistics related to Japanese army deployment and losses in China, Southeast Asia, and East Indies. An additional, 'Flying Aircraft Production Table', shows the production Japanese fighter aircraft throughout the war. We have heard reports that this map was referenced in the McArthur Report - a breakdown of the Pacific War from the Japanese perspective made for General Douglass McArthur with the assistance of Japanese officers.

Publication History and Census

This map was drawn by Ueno Rokuo (植野錄夫) and published in Japan by the Nippon Map Co, Ltd. (日本地圖株式會社) for the Tokyo Demobilization Agency First Demobilization Bureau. The map is rare, and we note but one example, in the collections at Harvard-Yenching - where it is considered one of the collection highlights. There was a reissue in the 1980s, but this, original post-war 1947 issue is extremely scarce.