The Prange Collection holds posters (68 items) and wall newspapers (208 items). With a few exceptions, these items are file copies of the Civil Censorship Detachment (CCD), which operated during the Allied Occupation of Japan, 1945-1949. They bear censorship markings, including CCD stamps and numbers, examination dates and, occasionally, action taken, such as a disapproval or violation. Some of the posters and wall newspapers have accompanying materials. If there is an examination slip by the CCD or a letter from a publisher, it is also available in the digital collection.
The University of Maryland Libraries do not hold copyright over the majority of its collections. Researchers are solely responsible for determining whether they need to seek permission to publish materials from these collections and for securing that permission from the copyright holder.
The posters were used primarily to promote public health and safety, for instruction in the classroom, to advance political messages (including messaging by labor unions), and for advertising. They were published by local governments, labor unions, and educational organizations (the wall charts [kakezu] used in elementary school classrooms are considered here to be posters). There are also games for children, promotional materials for books and magazines, and even an eye chart.
The wall newspapers were intended for posting in public places, such as train stations, workplaces, classrooms, and public bulletin boards on the street. Some were hand-painted, others were printed. They were published by local municipal offices, local welfare associations educating workers on their rights, labor unions, and an elementary school. The hand-painted wall newspapers focus on local news and advertisements for local stores, schools, and movie theatres, the vast majority of which were published in Kumamoto Prefecture.
