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PORTRAIT OF EMPEROR HIROHITO PUBLISHED IN THE LOS
ANGELES RAFU SHIMPO NEWSPAPER IN 1936 – FULL COLOR IMAGE
OF THE EMPEROR ON HIS FAMOUS WHITE HORSE – HISTORICAL
IMAGE WHICH APPEARED IN THE IMMEDIATE PRE-WAR YEARS:
This full color image of Japanese Emperor Hirohito was
published in the famous Los Angeles, California
Japanese-English newspaper, the Rafu Shimpo
in 1936.
Founded in 1903, Rafu Shimpo was based in the “Little
Tokyo” area of Los Angeles, California and served the
Japanese community until 1942 when it was closed for the
duration of World War Two. In addition to providing the
local Japanese-American population with local news and
advertisement, the paper also maintained a cultural and
news link with Japan, reporting items of interest and
newsworthy events from the other side of the Pacific.
This impressive image of the Emperor was a standard pose
that was fundamental to his carefully cultivated image.
Prior to, and during, World War II, the Emperor was
depicted in photos and newsreels riding this striking
white stallion while reviewing his troops. Japanese
tradition held the royal family as direct descendants of
the Sun God, and images such as this one reinforced the
belief that the Emperor was a distant deity to be
revered.
The Japanese Empire’s equestrian links to the United
States originated in friendship, when in 1880 President
Ulysses Grant was received by the Meiji Emperor during a
state visit. Upon the President's return to the United
States, he ordered a magnificent black stallion sent to
the Emperor. This equestrian alliance continued into
the 20th century when Shirayuki (White Snow), pictured
in this image, was shipped to the Emperor from
California.
The images of the mounted Emperor were sufficiently
common that the symbolism of the white horse was not
lost on the American public once the war broke out.
Early in the war, US Navy Admiral William (Bull) Halsey
vowed that one day he would ride Hirohito’s white horse
through the streets of Tokyo. A made to order
propaganda coup, Halsey’s bravado became a rallying cry
- the United States would win the war and remove Emperor
Hirohito from his “high horse”. Halsey’s promise even
served as the theme of one of the War Bond drives,
advertised in the broadside shown below.
At the end of the war, the public was clamoring for
Admiral Halsey to ride Emperor Hirohito’s horse as
promised, but it wasn’t to be. A much disappointed
public would learn that the white stallion was to remain
the private property of the Emperor. The
International News Service reported that Emperor
Hirohito made 344 appearances on Shirayuki. The horse
was retired in 1942 and died in 1947 at the age of 27.
This print of the mounted Emperor is a clear, bright
image. The paper is crazed with some cracking in the
face of the image due to age and having been stored in a
roll, however the principle features of the image
haven’t been significantly harmed. The detail of the
Emperor’s facial features, his uniform, and the saddle
cloth are clear and legible. The image proper measures
12” x 10” and the total dimensions of the sheet of
paper, including the white border, is 15 ¼” x 11 ½”.
The newspaper name and date of publication of the image
is printed in the lower center border and there are
several banners of Japanese printing around the border.
It is interesting to note that in the lower right hand
corner is printed “Made in Japan”, so it is possible
these images were printed in Japan and provided to Rafu
Shimpo for distribution to their readership.
This is a very interesting piece of pre-World War Two
history, published as the United States and Japan were
on the collision course that would lead to war. This
would be a key piece to add to any number of different
groupings related to the Japanese Internment Camps, the
442ND Combat Team, War Propaganda, or
Japanese military artifacts. No doubt, this must be a
fairly scarce print due to the initial limited
distribution and the subsequent anti-Japanese sentiments
once the war had begun. (0228) $100
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