1945 Shogakukan Pictorial Map of China and Sugoroku Game

A striking Japanese propaganda pictorial / manga map and sugoroku game board issued by Shogakukan (小學館) for its Shogaku Rokunensei (小学六年生; [Sixth Grader]) magazine in January of 1945, the final year of World War II. The map covers most of China from the Great Wall to Taiwan and Hainan. Rivers are greatly exaggerated. Despite the desperate situation that Japanese forces were then in, Japanese soldiers, battleships, and warplanes are featured throughout in heroic poses. The verso contains additional content further propagandizing the war effort.

Sugoroku

The essence of the game, generally known as simplified sugoroku, is akin to the western board game, snakes and ladders. Historically there are two variants of sugoroku, one that is similar to backgammon, and the presently offered 'snakes and ladders' variant. This version of the game appeared as early as the 13th century, and was popularized by the rise of printing technology, especially in the Edo and Meiji periods, leading to the production of high-quality visually-arresting gameboards. A standard sugoroku board has a starting point, the furi-dashi, and a winding or spiral path terminating at the agari or finish-line. The gameplay itself, not unlike 'snakes and ladders,' is a race to the finish.

Publication History and Census

This broadside map was published as a New Year supplement for Shogaku Rokunensei (小学六年生) in January 1945. We are aware of no other surviving examples.