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December 11, 2006

Q: I have this publication? Publisher: The Osaka Mainichi Publishing Company 1928 'Japan Today & Tomorrow'

Can you help me, I have this publication? Publisher: The Osaka Mainichi Publishing Company 1928
Osaka, Japan December 25, 1928
Printer & Publisher Riichiro Araki
Japan Today & Tomorrow 1928
Number 2 This publication has historical value as it tells about a developing Japan with many beautful color prints.

Regards,
William

A: Its not very straight forward answer, but here I go. First a short history of the company.

In 1870 the Yokohama Mainichi, the first daily in Japan, was started; it was also one of the first to use lead type. Two years later the Tokyo Nichi-Nichi appeared as one of the first truly modern Japanese newspapers, although it regarded itself as virtually an official gazette. The Yomiuri shimbun, one of the three leading national dailies in modern Japan, was founded in Tokyo in 1874, and it soon gained a reputation as a “literary” newspaper. The other two principal papers—the Osaka Nippo (1876) and the Osaka Asahi (1879)—were to become, respectively, the Osaka Mainichi and the Asahi shimbun (created in the early 1940s by a merger with the Tokyo Asahi, founded in 1888). They are associated with two of the fathers of modern Japanese newspaper publishing, Murayama Ryuhei (Asahi) and Motoyama Hikochi (Mainichi). Motoyama took full control of the Mainichi in 1903 and three years later added the Tokyo Nichi-Nichi to his publishing empire. — © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

In 1911 The Osaka Mainichi and Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun merged, finalized in 1943 to become Mainichi Shimbun — © 2006 Mainichi Shimbun corporate timeline.

From what I have found, on top of the news paper, the company was may still be (not sure as I can not find a current publication list) publisher of text and nationalist books. During the Shinto revitalization years (1905 - 1940s) Osaka Mainichi worked with the Japanese Government to publish propaganda materials.
— reference RG 238 National Archives Collection of World War II War Crimes Records - 238.2 Motion Pictures
— Various other sites found through Google

Your book Japan Today & Tomorrow 1928 is one that covers what Japan was like in the 20s and what they hoped Japan would be like. Books of this type can be found in almost every country. Their biggest value is as you put it the historical value. They are used for teaching Social and Cultural ways, history, and what type of a future a Government wants to create for a civilization. We call this Social Studies. :) These books are frequently updated so that the books we learned from contained similar but different information than the one s our parents had or the ones our children are learning form.

Another book to look for is Nippon today and tomorrow Published by Mainichi Shimbunsha 1944.

Description: The book is supposed to have 10 color plates with tissue guards. 26.5 x 38 cm., 176 pages. (Or at least that is all that I could learn of the physical form.)

Value: I only found a few references to Japan Today & Tomorrow 1928,

For insurance purposes I'd say, sight unseen, in a very good to fine condition I'd insure it against loss or damage at $200.00. An appraiser in your area can give you a closer to accurate value.

Posted by derstaffo at December 11, 2006 09:29 AM

Comments

Thank you for your extensive research on this
publication. I now have a better understanding
of what I have in my collection.

Posted by: William at December 13, 2006 06:45 PM