1935 Tanaka Pictorial Map of Animals of the World

Avant-garde Anime.

This is a rare 1935 pictorial zoological map of the world prepared by Tanaka Takuji as a supplement to the pioneering children's magazine Children's Land (Kodomo no kuni). It reflects the distinctive aesthetic of Children's Land, which elevated the production of content for children to the level of high art.

A Closer Look

The world is displayed divided into continents, which are color-shaded for distinction. National borders are not traced, but countries' flags are drawn, with the country's name appearing next to each flag. As Japan's puppet state in Manchuria, Manchukuo (written here in kana マンシウ) had already been established, and its flag appears distinct from that of the Republic of China. Representative animals of the different regions of the world are also illustrated and labeled, from hippos, lions, and elephants in Africa, to kangaroos, emus, and kiwis in Australia and New Zealand, to bears, 'Eskimo dogs' (エスキモーイヌ), and bison ('yak' ヤギウ) in North America, though the latter were nearly extinct by this point. Some sea creatures and polar animals also appear on the edges or beyond the land of continents.

Children's Land

Launched in 1922 by the publisher Tokyo-sha and running until 1944, Children's Land defined the aesthetic and educational landscape for children of the rising middle class, blending avant-garde art with a curated view of the world. The magazine differed considerably from earlier Meiji-era children's publications, which were often purely didactic. Instead, editor-in-chief Koko Wada hired a child psychologist as a full-time consultant and aimed to have the magazine reflect a view of children as individuals with their own unique sensibilities, and childhood as a carefree time in one's life rather than training for adulthood (the military for boys and motherhood for girls). Accomplished lyricists, poets, and artists experienced across multiple media were brought in, and the result was an extremely high-quality, innovative product. This early phase of the magazine reflected the pacifist internationalism of the Taisho era, and it often featured stories and fairy tales of far-off lands, helping to instill geographical knowledge and curiosity about the world in Japanese children. At this time, the magazine employed several far-left figures who had been effectively blacklisted and published the work of hundreds of artists, a large portion (roughly one-fourth) of whom were women.

However, as with Japanese culture more broadly, the 1930s saw a distinct shift in tone as the country became more deeply embroiled in imperialist expansion. Gradually, depictions of war and the military increased, especially after the death of the original art director, Kiichi Okamoto (1888-1930), who was replaced by artist Takeo Takei (1894 - 1983). Takeo had helped found the Japan Association of Illustration for Children, the first organization of its kind in Japan, which brought in many emerging artists to produce work for the magazine, but it was dissolved in 1941 due to wartime policies.

In the end, Children's Land suffered the same fate as many forms of cultural production, being subsumed and then destroyed by imperialism. But it left an important legacy, from introducing children to new technologies and the geography of the world, to creating (at least temporarily) a new and more fulfilling understanding of childhood, to providing a space for avant-garde artists to experiment. It played a major role in the development of Japanese animation (anime), which has influenced artists in the Postwar period to the present.

Publication History and Census

This map was drawn by artist Tanaka Takuji (田中卓二), who also signs at bottom-left in stylized romaji, in May 1935 (Showa 10) as a supplement (附錄) to the June 1935 edition of Children's Land (Kodomo no kuni, コドモノクニ). It was edited and published by Yatsuyanagi Kichijirō (八柳吉治郎) of Tokyo-sha (東京社) and printed by Matsunaga Kiyotsuka (松永清緑). We have been unable to identify any examples of this map in institutional collections or on the market, while a small handful of institutions in Japan (especially the Nichibunken and National Diet Library) appear to hold complete or nearly complete runs of the magazine.

Cartographer

Tokyo-sha (東京社; fl. c. 1912 - 1945) was a Japanese publishing house that produced periodicals primarily aimed at women and children, including the Illustrated Women's Gazette (Fujin Gahō, 婦人画報) and Children's Land (Kodomo no kuni, コドモノクニ). Perhaps not appreciated enough at the time, in retrospect Tokyo-sha's publications have become prized for their stunning Art Nouveau and Art Deco -style illustrations and other artistic features. In the postwar period, the company reformed as Fujin Gahō Sha (婦人画報社), named for its most prominent pre-1945 publication and focused more intently on women's fashion magazines. In recent decades, the company was first bought by the French publishing group Hachette, which then sold its international magazine business to the American Hearst Corporation, which now operates it as a local subsidiary Hearst Fujingaho Co., Ltd.   Further Details...

Condition

Good. Wear and toning on old fold lines. Laid down on archival tissue.