Books by Jamie Bisher
Japanese War Fantasy 1933
A bombshell dropped onto Honolulu docks in 1933—by ominous coincidence, on December 7. It was merely a crate of Japanese pulp fiction titled Account of the Future US-Japan War. Unlike other popular war fiction of the day, this riveting techno-thriller was written by a Japanese naval commander with forewords by two prominent admirals of the Imperial Navy. The book gave readers a foretaste of the strategy, tactics, and weaponry of the next world war. Author Kyosuke Fukunaga's dramatic tale foretold the roles of naval air power, submarines, radio communications, intelligence, civil affairs, propaganda, and racial unrest. The book details Japanese attacks on Guam, the Philippines, and Hawaii. But Fukunaga’s most eye-opening revelations reveal Japanese strategists’ faulty expectations of an enemy that supposedly lacked the will to fight. US Customs quietly confiscated Fukunaga's book—prompted by concerned Japanese-Americans, who feared the book might poison race relations. Nevertheless, this unusual ban of a work of fiction ignited headlines around the world after US intelligence leaked a translation of the novel to a Hearst newspaper in Washington, DC. The incident faded from public memory, and the translation was tucked into a file in the military intelligence archives. In 1941, a slew of Japanese bombshells rained on Pearl Harbor and turned Fukunaga’s fantasy into reality.
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Japanese War Fantasy 1933 delves into the content, background, and impact of Fukunaga’s explosive novel. Using the 1933 translation of Fukunaga’s text by military intelligence linguist Maj. Edward J. Witsell, editor Jamie Bisher presents an edited and annotated version of the controversial novel, illustrated with artwork and photographs from the Naval Historical Center, National Archives, Library of Congress, and Gordon W. Prange Papers at the University of Maryland.
Artwork from Fukunaga's original book by artist Katsuichi Kabashima may be of interest to manga historians. The artist was grandfather--and surely an inspiration--to Ryosuke Kabashima, the first editor of the epic JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.
Artwork from Fukunaga's original book by artist Katsuichi Kabashima may be of interest to manga historians. The artist was grandfather--and surely an inspiration--to Ryosuke Kabashima, the first editor of the epic JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.
208 pages, 120 illustrations (color and black/white), Kindle size: 18,722kb
ISBN-10 0764366467
ISBN-13 978-0764366468
Schiffer Publishing
ISBN-10 0764366467
ISBN-13 978-0764366468
Schiffer Publishing
Copyright 2023, Jamie Bisher