Japanese Imonbukuro, Soldier Comfort Bag.
This is a genuine Japanese imonbukuro, also known as soldier comfort bags, which were commonly used throughout World War II as a way to boost soldier morale for those fighting on the front line. These small bags were ubiquitous throughout the Japanese armed forces and the aptly named "comfort bag" was the Japanese equivalent of what people in the Western world often refer to as a "care package."
They were used to send small tokens to military personnel such as tobacco, razors, postal cards, sake and cans of food. In short, anything that would boost soldier morale and encourage them to continue to fight for their country.
They were used to provide soldiers with small gifts and anyone could send a Japanese soldier an imonbukuro although it was mainly family and friends who sent them to specific soldiers. They varied in size although they were all roughly 20-30 cm by 30-40cm, in order to make transportation of the packages easier. The Japanese word "i-mon-hin" stands for "comfort articles" and was commonly hand written onto the packages by the sender.
The drawstring of these bags was frequently made from cloth but they sometimes broke away during the postage process meaning that they were then replaced with a similar piece of material such as shoelaces. Most of the earlier bags were simple and basic in their appearance but as the war ravaged on; bag makers began to make bags that were a little more special than plain brown material. Sweet potatoes are a customary treat in Japan and many were sent to soldiers during the winter time as they battled for their country in particularly harsh conditions.
As the war continued, many people who sent imonbukuro to battling soldiers began to draw pictures on the front of the bags as a way to give further pleasure to the receiver. These could be anything from funny cartoons to pictures of their family. Care packages have proven popular all over the world with soldiers fighting in various wars throughout the years and are still used today to show soldiers how much their efforts are appreciated back home.
After the war, some merchants had stock left over and there are some unused imonbukuro still available today.
Sources:
ExordioLa Segunda Guerra Mundial (1939-1945), Rokubetsu Rikusentai - Fuerzas Navales Especiales de Desembarco, 29 August 2012, from:
http://whttp://www.exordio.com/1939-1945/militaris/fuerzas-armadas-JAP/tokubetsu-rikusentai.html
Imperial Japanese Navy, Wikipedia, 29 August 2012, from: http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Japanese_Navy
Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
