1943 Seitosha Japanese Co-prosperity Sphere Map of Hawaii

This is a 1943 (Showa 18) Seitosha (正統社) map of Hawaii from the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere series. The inclusion of the map in the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere underscores the extent of Japan's imperial ambitions for the archipelago. It is part of a wider anti-western, anti-western-imperialism propaganda message promoted by Imperial Japan throughout the 1930s and 40s.

A Closer Look

The map is a beautiful piece with rich color and fine engraving. It details the major Hawaiian Islands, with one inset of Honolulu and Pearl Harbor and another detailing the farther Hawaiian Islands. Oceanic depths are illustrated with blue shading. Flight and shipping routes appear in red.

The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere

The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere (大東亜共栄圏) was an imperial concept created and promulgated for occupied Asian populations between 1930 and 1945 by the Empire of Japan. Hachirō Arita announced the concept on June 29, 1940. The Co-Prosperity Sphere was intended as a self-sufficient 'bloc of Asian nations led by the Japanese and free of Western powers.' It covered Southeast Asia, Eastern China, Manchuria, Japan, the East India Islands, and parts of Oceania. The idea promoted the cultural and economic unity of East Asians, Southeast Asians, and Oceanians.

Publication History

This map was drafted and designed by Ashizawa Keigo (芦沢馨吾), published by Seitosha (正統社) and distributed by Japan Publishing Distribution Co., Ltd. (日本出版配給株式會社). It is part of a 20-map propaganda series illustrating the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere collectively entitled Series of Great East Asia Maps. It was first printed on April 1, 1943, and released on April 5, 1943. The present example is the second edition, printed on June 20, 1943, and released on June 25.