Comes with C.O.A.

This incredibly rare and very large Japanese Naval war map of Toyko Bay is dated 1942 and was an incredible bring back of a WWII veteran of the Pacific Theater. Produced one year after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 this incredibly large Japanese naval map was most likely in the area during the infamous Doolittle Raid, also known as the Tokyo Raid. This was an air raid on 18 April 1942 by the United States on the Japanese capital Tokyo and other places on Honshu during World War II. It was the first air operation to strike the Japanese archipelago. It demonstrated that the Japanese mainland was vulnerable to American air attacks, served as retaliation for the attack on Pearl Harbor, and provided an important boost to American morale.

This Japanese map provides secret markings of Japanese airfields, military installations, naval bases, and other installations in the surrounding area. Because of the large size of the map, it could be folded into smaller sections depending on the location of the Japanese naval vessel this map was used on. The multiple navigational circles also allowed for Japanese naval compasses to be placed for easy navigational directions.

It is unclear when this WWII map was obtained or what Japanese vessel it was used on. This map of Tokyo Bay in the surrounding waters would've been absolutely crucial as the United States Navy began preparation for the Japanese Act of Surrender to be signed in Toyko Bay. One of the conditions regarding Japanese surrender was for local forces in the area to overturn any secret or confidential maps regarding Tokyo Bay. This was to ensure the safe passage through the waters and the bay itself as the allied naval ship arrives and moved throughout the area. The US and other allied forces in this area during 1945 needed to know all of the Japanese military defenses and locations in the area.

Toyko During WWII:

However, the Pacific War, which broke out in 1941, had a great impact on Tokyo. The dual administrative system of Tokyo-fu (prefecture) and Tokyo-shi (city) was abolished for war-time efficiency, and the prefecture and city were merged to form the Metropolis of Tokyo in 1943. The metropolitan administrative system was thus established and a governor was appointed. In the final phase of the war, Tokyo was bombed 102 times. The heaviest air raid was on March 10, 1945, in which there was great loss of life and material damage. The war came to an end on September 2, 1945, when the Japanese government and military representatives signed the Instrument of Surrender. Much of Tokyo had been laid waste by the bombings and by October 1945 the population had fallen to 3.49 million, half its level in 1940.