Tenno Heika Banzai 天皇陛下万歳

"Tenno Heika Banzai!" was what Japanese soldiers would cry out as they charged the enemy, rightfully knowing they would die.

It translates to "Long Live the Emperor!" The Banzai charge is considered to be one method of honorable suicide. In Japan, samurai followed the code called Bushido, defining behaviors loyal and honorable, which the Japanese army followed as well. During the war, the Japanese government began spreading propaganda that romanticized the suicide banzai attack, using one of the virtues of Bushido as the basis for the campaign. The Japanese government presented war as purifying, with death defined as a duty.

The Banzai charges would most always result in bodies piling up. The American machine gun emplacements would turn charging warriors into mincemeat. The largest Banzai attack of the war took place in the Battle of Saipan in 1944 where, at the cost of almost 4,300 dead Japanese soldiers, it almost destroyed the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 105th U.S. Infantry, who lost almost 650 men.

Banzai charges most often took place by remnants of groups of surviving troops following defeats in organized battle, as a last resort and alternative to surrender.

Museum-quality posters made on thick and durable matte paper. Add a wonderful accent to your room and office with these posters that are sure to brighten any environment.

(Print Only, original was 20X30 inches)

• Paper thickness: 10.3 mil
• Paper weight: 5.57 oz/y² (189 g/m²)
• Giclée printing quality
• Opacity: 94%
• ISO brightness: 104%