Propaganda kimono

"interesting" or "novelty" designs),[1] the decoration of many kimono produced during this time often depicted the military and political actions of Japan during its involvement in the war on the side of the Axis powers.

[3] The introduction of Western textile manufacturing techniques and machinery allowed textile manufacturers to produce printed fabric at a quicker and cheaper rate than traditional dye techniques allowed, and later support from the Japanese population for colonialist expansion would lead into support in WWII against the Allied powers.

Other designs showed images reflecting current events (e.g., the visit of the Graf Zeppelin in 1929)[9] and social trends, such as depictions of the "modern girl", whose new pastimes were cocktails, nightclubs, and jazz music.

[10] Regardless of the subject matter, wartime omoshirogara employed a bold colour palette, showing direct influences from Art Deco, Dadaism and Cubism, as well as social realism and other graphic media.

[8][11] By the later 1920s, and particularly following the crash of 1929, with Japan's economically disastrous return to the gold standard, conservative and ultra-nationalist forces in the military and government began to push back against the modernist trends in Japanese society, and sought to reassert more traditional values.