Gunki Festivals
Every infantry or cavalry regiment would hold annual open-house events open to the local community on or around the anniversary of receiving their standards. This was called the Gunki-Sai (軍旗際) and was something all the soldiers and public looked forward to as great entertainment. Not only were there the expected displays of weapons and the banner, but comical shows and plays even with soldiers cross-dressed as girls, etc were common fare. It was a school-fair-like event where everyone let their hair down and military discipline was relaxed.
Despite the open and easy-going atmosphere of these events, counterespionage had to be considered after 1940 when the army adopted “Tsushogo”code numbers instead of giving out their official unit designations (Read my article on the evolution of the army dog tag, if you don’t know what I mean). Most of all, the regimental banners showing the official unit designations as written by the emperor had to be censored out from any newspaper coverage of the local Gunki Festivals. That is why some photos from the time feature flags that are totally black.
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