Bonhams 1793 : [Commander Tadamichi Kuribayashi]. A Japanese map of Iwo Jima, used for the defence of the island by the Imperial Japanese Army February

Lithographed map of Iwo Jima, on paper and folding, a contoured military map marking the Japanese beach trenches, roads, gun positions and airport runways, with an original leather case, the case marked in ink 'Gen Kuribayashi's map from his cave on north end of Iwo Jima'. The map 42 x 32.5in., browned and lightly stained, a few small insect holes at center fold, grid marked in blue crayon, some soot damage to at least 4 panels on the map (presumably candle soot), the case 11 x 8.5in.

Sold for US$ 35,000 inc. premium

Footnotes

Exhibited:
The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, New York, 1995-2007

Provenance:
The War Museum

An extraordinary survival from this bloody conflict, the map for the defense of the island purportedly recovered from the cave of the Japanese Commander, unannotated but marked up with a number grid. General Kuribayashi's tactics for the defense of the island were both clever and robust, and he ordered his defenders to fight to the end. The Marines had expected to take Iwo Jima in 5 days but it took 36 days as the Japanese defense forces waged guerrilla warfare against the American invaders. He is immortalized in the Clint Eastwood movie Letters from Iwo Jima released in 2006.

Category: Books / Books, Maps and Manuscripts

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