Themes and Tropes of the Pacific War Cards 太平洋戦争時の札におけるテーマ
The next three pages will look at three emergent themes in the Pacific War era iroha karuta type cards for children. These are the image of the happy soldier, the benevolent and legitimate empire, and the efforts and support needed from children and adults on the home front.
These three themes can, in a way, be found in the text and image of each card. On the following pages though, I will discuss examples of cards whose images and words are particularly compelling.