The Institute for Japanese Studies (IJS) has been hosting a series of talks covering Japanese politics, economy, society, culture, and the arts. With experts from Korea, Japan, Europe, and the U.S., the seminars are delivered in multiple languages including Japanese, Korean, and English.
We are pleased to host the 299th lecture as part of the Japan Specialist Seminars, titled “Realistic Representations of Machines in Japanese Children’s Popular Culture: Continuities from the Prewar to the Postwar Period.”
This seminar will be held in a hybrid format. Anyone interested is welcome to attend without prior registration. Lunch boxes will be provided starting at 12:00 p.m. (Please note that availability may be limited.)
Date: November 11, 2025 (Tuesday) 12:00–14:00 (The lecture will start from 12:30)
Venue: GL Room, GSIS (Bldg. 140) and online via ZOOM
Zoom ID: 583 289 8745
Zoom Link: https://snu-ac-kr.zoom.us/j/5832898745
Language: Korean
Lecturer: HA Seong-ho (HK Research Professor, Institute for Global China Studies, Pukyong National University)
Title: Realistic Representations of Machines in Japanese Children’s Popular Culture: Continuities from the Prewar to the Postwar Period
During the Pacific War, a distinctive illustrative style emerged in Japan that depicted fantastical mechanical weapons with striking realism for child audiences. This visual mode persisted for nearly forty years after the war, evolving within Japan’s children’s popular culture. Originating in wartime propaganda publications, it retained its vitality across various media and genres, including postwar boys’ magazines that featured scientific adventures and war-themed entertainment.
Focusing on Komatsuzaki Shigeru, one of the leading illustrators of this style, this study finds that his ability to continue employing a visual language rooted in wartime propaganda was made possible for two main reasons. First, already during the war, he drew on American portrayals of imaginary machines; and second, in the postwar era, he was able to channel his skills into works framed as fostering scientific imagination for children.
Inquiry: IJS Administration Office (880-8503 / ijs@snu.ac.kr)
