1932 Imperial Japanese Army Cavalry 16th Regiment Commemorative Photo Album For Sale

📖 Cover Inscription (faithful reading)

“Commemorative Photo Album

Imperial Japanese Army Cavalry 16th Regiment, 3rd Company, Narashino

1932”

🔎 What was the Narashino Cavalry 16th Regiment?

• Who
  One of the Imperial Japanese Army’s cavalry regiments, stationed in Narashino, Chiba Prefecture.
  Cavalry was considered an elite branch in the modern Army, tasked with reconnaissance, charges, and communications.
• What
  This album is a commemorative photographic record of the 16th Regiment, 3rd Company, featuring their barracks, training exercises, officers’ portraits, and scenes of soldiers’ daily life. Produced by Kobayashi Photo Studio / Sankosha in a deluxe format.
• When
  Shōwa 7 (1932), immediately after the Manchurian Incident (1931–32), when Japan was intensifying its military expansion into mainland China.
• Where
  Narashino, Chiba. This site was the Army’s central cavalry base after the Russo-Japanese War, and later became the birthplace of Japan’s paratroop units.
• Why
  To preserve the memory and pride of the unit. For soldiers and their families, such albums served as proof of service and a personal military chronicle.
• How
  Professionally photographed, printed, and bound in a heavy commemorative album format — clearly intended as an official record and keepsake.

🕰️ Historical Context (1932)

• 1931: The Manchurian Incident breaks out; Japan occupies northeast China.
• 1932: Founding of Manchukuo, rising militarism within Japan.
• Narashino cavalry units intensify training for possible continental deployment.
• This album is thus a direct product of Japan’s shift into its prewar military buildup.

💡 Collector’s Appeal

• Primary source value: Provides a vivid record of military life, training, commanding officers, and regimental facilities.
• Rarity: Japanese cavalry was soon replaced by tanks and mechanized units, and the branch itself was abolished after WWII. Surviving photo albums are scarce.
• Historical importance: An artifact directly tied to Japan’s interwar military expansion following the Manchurian Incident.
• Artistic value: Clear professional photography, original binding, and preserved storage case.

Highly collectible for militaria and Japanese pre-WWII history enthusiasts.

Fedex or Japan post

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