The illustration depicts Type 97 medium tanks under General Yamashita’s command breaking through the defensive positions in the Battle of Jitra in the Malaya. Propaganda photos taken during the War depicted the advancing Type 97 knocking down palm trees. The inscription Kokorozashi which means Ambition shows this vehicle belongs to the 1st Tank Regiment, 3rd Company.
The Jitra defensive line was only about half complete at the time, and the British troops in the Malay were mostly Indians. Since it was a colonial army, the armament was suited more for policing: there were armored trucks, but no real tanks. Also, realistically speaking, not many Indians were willing to risk their lives fighting for Great Britain against the Empire of Japan.
And once again, I was perplexed by Japanese tanks on this job.
Around 40 years ago, I debuted in the very successful book Souretsu!! Doitsu-Kikougundan (The Brave German Panzer Corps!!), but the second work was Gakken no X Zukan: Sensha (Gakken X Illustrated Reference: Tanks). I started this work not knowing much about tanks, and I couldn’t tell a Panzer III from a Panzer IV when I started.
I initially liked soldiers more than tanks, and the cool looking German soldiers were what got me to learn to sketch and ink drawings properly. I never had professional training in an art school, but I started my own art schools to foster a next generation of artists.
Back to the story about drawing tanks. I had quite a bit of documentation about German tanks, but I was not very interested in Japanese tanks, and I started drawing Japanese tanks using the information I got from the editors. All this was 40 years ago. I didn’t know about suspension systems of tanks, so I ended up redrawing the same cut several times and had a horrible time. I learned a lesson then, and when I draw something for work, I always thoroughly research the parts of the vehicle before drawing. This is important for any artist, I guess.
In the Yūshūkan Museum of the Yasukuni Shrine, there is a Japanese Chi-Ha tank, which returned from Saipan. I went to check the suspension and things like the tension on the front idler. A friend of mine, Mr. Kazuhara works here, and I get a lot of help from him when researching things. Mr. Kazuhara has been a tank regiment commander in the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force, and has also been a military history adviser at the JGSDF Staff College.
On tanks I like in WoT, as brazen as it may seem, I like to put a Japanese flag on it. Of course, I have the Japanese flag and camouflage on the Japanese tanks and I’m very happy to see and drive around in them. But after having played on the German tanks and knowing their firepower, I was worried that the lack of armor and power might make the Japanese tanks ineffective in the game. I was glad to see, how under the skillful hands of some users, these tanks were very competitive. I, however, being an old man, am having some problems with the Japanese tanks.
I turned 63 years old this January 28, and I wish everyone would forgive me for not being so well versed at the game. I started the game thinking it’ll be a workout for my aging brain, but this game turned out to be the realistic tank battle game I dreamed of, and I truly enjoy rolling around the battlefield in these steel behemoths.
And so, finally, I’ve finished the illustration so I’ll go back to playing WoT. If you see me in the battlefield, let’s battle! And have fun together!