Military Postal History Society

Other Presentations

Slide 1

The Ninoshima Exhibition 1914-20

Harold Krische

A presentation for the Tenth Winton M. Blount Postal History Symposium 2018

Smithsonian National Postal Museum

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Slide 2

Background

  • Aug 23/14 Japan declares war on Germany

  • Nov 7, 1914 Waldeck surrender

  • Approx 4700 POW

  • 16 Camps in Japan

Slide 3

Contextual Elements...

  • Japan seeking to join the rank of first world countries, thus mindful of international treaties and expectations

  • Japan conquering, occupying German territory & interning German soldiers and civilians introduces a unique racial-cultural dimension

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Slide 4

Contextual Elements...

  • Germany strongly embraced nationalism, patriotism & cultural constructs

  • The ‘Golden Age’ of the postcard afforded a valued communication device, one that could reflect circumstances and ideology

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Slide 5

The Ninoshima Camp

  • Ninoshima Camp is on a small island across the bay from Hiroshima

  • Ninoshima Camp opened Feb 19, 1917 and closed April 1, 1920

  • 536 German & 9 Austrian POWs were transferred from the closing Osaka camp

10 mile circumference, 3 miles from the Hiroshima port

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Slide 6

The Ninoshima Camp

  • Various concerts, performances, sports competitions & exhibitions were known to have taken place in the Osaka & Ninoshima camps

  • Ninoshima included facilities for bread-making, sausage making, printing, tennis & soccer

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Slide 7

The Ninoshima Camp Exhibition of 1919

  • An exhibition proposal was made to Camp commander Suganumarai

  • The exhibition was hosted in the Bussan Exhibition Hall in Hiroshima

  • 16,000 Japanese citizens attended over 9 days in the early Spring of 1919

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Slide 8

Exhibition 1919

  • Bilingual handstamp, the two outside Japanese characters designating “Hiroshima”, then ‘Ninoshima Furyo Seisakuhin Tenrankai’ (Exhibition of Handiwork from Ninoshima prisoners)

  • POW #4708 Woserau was exhibition chair

  • Produced a series of exhibition postcards

  • POW #4532 Haupt coordinated program production

Arthur Woserau exhibit chairperson

Wilhelm Haupt production of program, cover and printing press exhibit

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Slide 9

Exhibition Card #1

  • Produced by camp printer POW # 4703 Rudolf Scholz

  • Designed by POW #4608 Paul Schubert

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Slide 10

Exhibition Card #1

  • Reverse of card used to relative in Germany (Apr 7)

  • “Exhibition of technical products of German POWs in Ninoshima” (vertical Japanese characters)

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Slide 11

Exhibition Card #2

  • Designed by POW #3970 Eugen Liesenfeld

  • Liesenfeld had several paintings in the exhibition

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Slide 12

Exhibition Card #2

  • Reverse of card to Germany (Apr 7, earliest usage)

  • Card printed by Rudolf Scholz

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Slide 13

Exhibition Card #3

  • Liesenfeld designed card commemorating those fallen in Tsingtau

  • Card printed by Rudolf Scholz

Focus on remembering those who fell in Tsingtau, a memory stone piece.

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Slide 14

Exhibition Card #3a

  • Card printed printed by Wilhelm & Holona

  • Darker tone, lacking details of previous card

Focus on remembering those who fell in Tsingtau, a memory stone piece.

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Slide 15

Exhibition Card #3a

  • Reverse of card 3a (Apr 19, 1919 latest use)

  • Intercamp usage to Narashino camp

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Slide 16

Exhibition Card #4

  • Depicting the Osaka lager in 1915

  • Printing around design NOT underlined

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Slide 17

Exhibition Card #4a

  • Printing around design IS underlined (R. Scholz)

  • Designed by POW #3841 Joseph Brilmayer

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Slide 18

Exhibition Card #4a

  • Sent by POW # 1595 Tietz to family in Germany

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Slide 19

Exhibition Card #5

  • “KUNST GEWERBE” – ARTS TRADE

  • “TECHNIK SCHULWESEN” – TECHNOLOGY SCHOOLING

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Slide 20

Exhibition Card #5

  • Sent by POW to family in Germany

  • Card designed by POW Brilmayer

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Slide 21

Exhibition Card #6 & 6a: 'The Magistrate'

Designer: GUSTAV WILHELM

Printer variation

Slide 22

Exhibition Program Cover

POW Gustav Wilhelm, postcard designer and artist was successful in the competition for the cover design

The program is 38 pages, listing 321 exhibition entries with contributions from over 100 POWs

Slide 23

Exhibition Program Back

Paintings – 86 entries

Handiwork – 142 entries

Industrial – 39 entries

Education – 25 entries

Slide 24

Exhibition Program

  • The Program has four main sections featuring POW displays including: The Arts

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Slide 25

Exhibition Program

  • Handicrafts: including woodworking & metal works

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Slide 26

Exhibition Program

  • Technology: including electronics, construction, machines and operational models

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Slide 27

Exhibition Program

  • Learning Aspects: including learning materials, collections, cartography, lessons, etc.

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Slide 28

Camp Education Programs

  • 73% of camp POWs participated in education programs developed & provided by 46 POW ‘teachers’

  • Participants ranging from 3 to 52 per class were to be found in 47 different courses

  • Popular courses included: German, Japanese, Math, Chem, Machinery, Government, Geography & Bookkeeping

  • Specialty courses in electronics, engines, agriculture economics & jurisprudence were also offered

Slide 29

Exhibition Program

  • The program featured advertising for services and products that were available at the exhibition.

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Slide 30

References of Interest...

  • Barkhof, S. (2017) German Prisoners of War in Japan During the First World War: Letters from the Colonial Frontline. Journal of War & Culture Studies, 10:3, 253-265, DOI 10.1080/17526272.2017.1309225

  • Ninoshima German POWs’ Camp. Retrieved from http://www.cf.city.hiroshima.jp/rinkai/heiwa/heiwa008/german%20prisoners%20camp.html

  • Schmidt, H-J. Historisch-biographisches Projekt von Hans-Joachim Schmidt (seit 2002). Retrieved from www.tsingtau.info

  • Seitz, L. (1998) Die Post der Tsingtauer in japanischer Gefangenschaft. Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Sammler deutscher Kolonialpostwertzeichen.