Antique Imperial Japanese Navy Sasebo Engineering Training Photo Album 1927 For Sale

DescriptionThis is an original 1927 Imperial Japanese Navy training graduation album from the Engineering Training Division of the Sasebo Naval Barracks.The cover is gold-lettered:“Entered Service December 1927
Graduation Commemoration
Sasebo Naval Barracks Engineering Training Division”For those new to Japanese naval history, the Sasebo Naval Barracks was an important training establishment where young recruits received the education and discipline necessary to become sailors of the Imperial Japanese Navy.This particular album belonged to the engineering branch.These sailors were trained in the machinery and technical work necessary to keep naval vessels operating—the men behind the engines and mechanical systems that allowed a warship to move.The opening pages contain portraits of senior officers of the Sasebo Naval Barracks, including its commander, Captain Kichiro Takita.Other pages show engineering instruction, classroom study, physical training, boat exercises, and other scenes from everyday naval education.Perhaps the most fascinating pages are the individual class portraits.Dozens of young sailors are shown with their names printed beneath their photographs, together with their instructors and division leaders.In modern terms, this is remarkably similar to a graduation yearbook from a Japanese Navy training school—except that these young men entered the Imperial Japanese Navy almost a century ago.At the end of the album is the handwritten name “Kanji Arita” (蟻田莞爾), possibly identifying the original owner. This attribution has not been independently confirmed.The album dates from 1927, fourteen years before Japan entered the Pacific War.History usually remembers the Imperial Japanese Navy through its battleships, aircraft carriers, and famous battles. This album preserves something different: the individual faces and names of the young sailors who were trained to make that Navy function.The album shows age-related toning, stains, wear, and other deterioration consistent with its age. Please examine the photographs carefully for condition.Nearly a century later, their names and faces remain together.Own a Piece of History.Shipping

FedEx or Japan Post

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Provided by HARU

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