Electoral Reform
Electoral poster from Nagano Prefecture featuring traditional Japanese motifs including cherry blossoms and the silhouette of a mounted samurai. The silhouette is taken from a statue in Tokyo of a famous samurai commander by the name of Kusunoki Masashige. He was idealized in pre-war Japan as a symbol of imperial loyalty and the embodiment of the bushido warrior code, celebrated widely as a national hero and role model of samurai virtue. He is remembered for his unwavering loyalty to the Emperor Go-Daigo in the face of overwhelming military odds, ultimately giving his life in the Battle of Minatogawa in 1336.
Kusunoki Masashige is alleged to have declared “If only I had seven lives that I could give for my Emperor!” before his death, and has since been attributed with coining the Japanese lexeme ‘Shichi-sho Hokoku‘ (Seven Lives for the Nation), taken from this quote. The phrase would later be adopted by Imperial Japanese servicemen, particularly the kamikaze pilots, who saw it as the ultimate proclamation of loyalty and self-sacrifice.
The cherry blossoms featured serve as yet another traditional motif from Japanese culture symbolizing self-sacrifice. The lyrics of a famous military composition illustrates this best by comparing their ephemeral bloom to that of the destiny of Japan’s soldiers: “Flowers only bloom being prepared to fall, so let us scatter like cherry blossoms in the wind, for the sake of our nation.”
The electoral reform (or electoral purge) movement was a program instituted by the Imperial Japanese government to curb electoral fraud and cases of bribery. Such abuses were rampant during Japan’s pre-war liberal and democratic phase, which lasted until the end of the Taisho era. The nationalist governments that followed would reverse these trends, taking a harsher stance towards political corruption as a whole. Intended as a grassroots movement with state support, patriotic inculcation efforts would be instituted alongside these anti-corruption campaigns, explaining the triumphant, patriotic messaging of the poster.
Poster reads (from right to left, top to bottom): Election Purge | Election date: April 30th | Show Japan’s Spirit at the Elections | Nagano Prefecture
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Electoral poster from Nagano Prefecture featuring traditional Japanese motifs including cherry blossoms and the silhouette of a mounted samurai. The silhouette is taken from a statue in Tokyo of a famous samurai commander by the name of Kusunoki Masashige. He was idealized in pre-war Japan as a symbol of imperial loyalty and the embodiment of the bushido warrior code, celebrated widely as a national hero and role model of samurai virtue. He is remembered for his unwavering loyalty to the Emperor Go-Daigo in the face of overwhelming military odds, ultimately giving his life in the Battle of Minatogawa in 1336.
Kusunoki Masashige is alleged to have declared “If only I had seven lives that I could give for my Emperor!” before his death, and has since been attributed with coining the Japanese lexeme ‘Shichi-sho Hokoku‘ (Seven Lives for the Nation), taken from this quote. The phrase would later be adopted by Imperial Japanese servicemen, particularly the kamikaze pilots, who saw it as the ultimate proclamation of loyalty and self-sacrifice.
The cherry blossoms featured serve as yet another traditional motif from Japanese culture symbolizing self-sacrifice. The lyrics of a famous military composition illustrates this best by comparing their ephemeral bloom to that of the destiny of Japan’s soldiers: “Flowers only bloom being prepared to fall, so let us scatter like cherry blossoms in the wind, for the sake of our nation.”
The electoral reform (or electoral purge) movement was a program instituted by the Imperial Japanese government to curb electoral fraud and cases of bribery. Such abuses were rampant during Japan’s pre-war liberal and democratic phase, which lasted until the end of the Taisho era. The nationalist governments that followed would reverse these trends, taking a harsher stance towards political corruption as a whole. Intended as a grassroots movement with state support, patriotic inculcation efforts would be instituted alongside these anti-corruption campaigns, explaining the triumphant, patriotic messaging of the poster.
Poster reads (from right to left, top to bottom): Election Purge | Election date: April 30th | Show Japan’s Spirit at the Elections | Nagano Prefecture
