1933 Ishizuka Map of the World, Political, Economic, Military Comparisons

This is a 1933 Ishizuka Ittoku map of the world that appeared in the popular magazine Kaizō. It falls into a genre of world maps popular in Japan (and elsewhere) in the 1930s that compare the relative economic and military power of major countries.

A Closer Look

This map is a masterpiece of information conveyance, using graphics to include tremendous amounts of data. Along with political boundaries (including colonies and areas of influence, indicated by the dot pattern), the symbols explained in the legend indicate political systems, agricultural production, mining and petroleum production, mutual trade, and major transportation lines with their distances in kilometers.

Additional charts and graphs surround the map, indicating everything from cotton and cloth production to shipbuilding, public finances, population, land area, and distribution of workforce by industry. An inset map of Europe at bottom-left notes which countries were then using the gold standard, a critical issue in the depths of the Great Depression. Above the inset map at left is a schematic of worker productivity (勞動者一人當工程動力), proclaiming that Japan's was the highest in the world.

Most ominously, at top are comparisons of the tonnage of naval warships, number of airfields, and troops of major powers, highlighting that, at this point, Japan and Germany were far behind their soon-to-be opponents in the World War II. In addition to Japan and major powers like the U.S.A., U.K., the Soviet Union, and Germany, medium sized economies such as Canada, Australia, Argentina, and Chile are also included in some of the graphics.

Historical Context

This map was made soon after the Mukden Incident in September 1931 and the establishment of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo in early 1932. These events marked a significant strengthening of the military vis-à-vis the civilian government and a dramatic break with the international community (Japan was roundly condemned in the League of Nations and walked out of the organization as a result). A failed coup in 1932 and other plots to overthrow the government were met with weak responses by the establishment, which was distracted by financial crises and unsure of how to respond to popular support for aggressive militarism (especially since militarism appeared to have tacit support from the emperor). Not long after this map's publication, the noxious mix of emperor worship, nationalism, and militarism would lead Japan into a full-scale war in China, and eventually into a devastating conflict with the Western powers.

Kaizō (改造) Magazine

Kaizō, and its parent company Kaizōsha, was an important player on the cultural scene of Taishō and early Shōwa era Japan. Founded in 1919 by Yamamoto Sanehiko (山本実彦; 1885 - 1952), Kaizō gained an audience by combining two types of subject matter: works of experimental, avant-garde fiction and non-fiction pieces on scientific questions, social problems, and political philosophy.

Kaizōsha became famous for inviting foreign intellectuals to give lectures in Japan, including Albert Einstein, George Bernard Shaw, Margaret Sanger, and Bertrand Russell. They also published works by Japanese leftist thinkers as well as the first complete translation of Marx's Das Kapital, by Takabatake Motoyuki (高畠素之). Moreover, Kaizōsha advocated philosophical exchange between Japan and China, and translated the works of leading Chinese thinkers, especially leftists like Lu Xun.

All these stances made Kaizōsha a target as Japan drifted towards hypernationalism and militarism during the 1930s and, after facing intense censorship, the authorities arrested the magazine's editors and forced it to cease operations during the Pacific War. As with the Taishō era as a whole, the works published by Kaizōsha are an important reminder that Japan's intellectual landscape prior to World War II was not uniformly nationalistic.

Publication History and Census

This map was edited and printed by Ishizuka Ittoku (石塚一德) of the publisher Shūeisha (秀英舎) on December 18, 1933, and appeared as a supplement to the 1934 New Year's edition of Kaizō (January 1, 1934). It is only known to be held by Northwestern University and is scarce to the market.