Nagoya arsenal Doolittle raid postcard

[John C]

Hello folks:

This is only vaguely related to swords, however some of you might find it interesting. This is a postcard that depicts the Doolittle raid (1942, I believe) on the Nagoya arsenal plant. The left side shows a soldier's uniform with sword while the right side shows a peasant? or farmer's? outfit. I can just make out a 93 on the farmer's outfit and another kanji I assume means killed or deceased (please correct me if I am wrong). The postmark is 1945. 

Just thought it was an interesting item to share.

John C.

[Bruce Pennington]

Hopefully we can get a translation of the back!

[SteveM]

It looks like an American propaganda card. It is written from the perspective of the US, and it is showing sympathy for the average Japanese person who suffered through high taxation, forced savings, and other depredations at the hands of the wealthy militarists and those in government. The last bit is obscured by the purple stamp, but it says the bombings will continue until the militarists drop their weapons, so it seems like it would have been written while the war was still going on. The front is contrasting the nice cushion, boots, and uniforms of the generals, with the rough clothes of the average Japanese. I don't know why it has a stamp and a cancellation mark. A closer/sharper picture (front/back) would help. 

 

Edit: the "Doolittle's Raid" bit on the front looks incidental to the content on the back. Looks like its an ownership stamp, rather than having any relation to the written text on the back. 

[John C]

Steve:

Thank you for the translation. The google app was able to translate the words but not the meaning. It makes a lot more sense now. I have seen other leaflets with the same stamp, cancellation date, and Nagoya reference. I was never sure what they were.

Much appreciated,

John C.