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An Extraordinarily Detailed Japanese Defensive Plan for Iwo Jima.

Repeatedly Updated with Overlapping Manuscript Annotations During the Early Stages of the Battle.

Captured From A Japanese Soldier.

This 1944 Top Secret-classified Japanese military map of Iwo Jima, titled "黄流島" (Kōryū-jima), was produced by the Japanese General Staff Headquarters (参謀本部) as a provisional topographic survey for battlefield use. With iterating layers of hand-written battlefield troop positions, this large map is an exceptionally rare as a record of the Japanese perspective during the Battle of Iwo Jima (February 19 to March 26, 1945).

The map presents a detailed rendering of Iwo Jima's topography, with elevation lines and natural landforms essential for military planning. Red, blue, and brown pencil annotations cover various areas, indicating defensive zones, artillery placements, and sectors of tactical interest, including at Mount Suribachi in the lower left corner. These manuscript additions, updated in overlapping layers, reflect the evolving defensive strategy of the Japanese forces during the early stages of the Battle of Iwo Jima. Each annotation represents an adaptive response, illustrating the dynamic nature of battlefield planning as Japanese command anticipated Allied advances.

The "Top Secret" (極秘) and "Military Secret" (軍事秘密) labels in the right margin of the map indicate its restricted distribution to Japanese field officers, corroborated by the signature of a First Lieutenant on the verso. The notation "Limited to Battlefield Use" (戦地二限リ) emphasizes its exclusivity for immediate military operations. The label "参謀本部" (General Staff Headquarters) confirms its origin from the highest echelons of Japanese military command, underscoring its strategic significance. The map was prepared in late 1944 in preparation for the expected American invasion of the island that came early in the following year.

Key to the Annotations

The map uses standardized Japanese military symbols to note guns, tanks, trenches, etc. A key to common Japanese military map symbols is appended to our photographs of the map. Further explanations can be found in the U.S. military report on Japanese military maps originally published in Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 47, June 1, 1944.

As noted in the report, abbreviations were often rendered in shorthand with the Latin alphabet. Thus "8 HA x 1" might refer to eight anti-aircraft guns, and "11 TAS" could be eleven independent anti-tank units.

Captured on the Battlefield

The map's verso features a purple Allied inspection stamp reading "Examined in the Field No. 12, Passed by P.R. Abott, Maj. GSC, Joint Intelligence, FOR DOCUMENTS ONLY," identifying it as a recovered item processed by Allied intelligence.

Battlefield trophies captured by American servicemen in the Pacific were processed by officers to ensure that the information contained in them was not critical to the ongoing prosecution of the war. This map was captured during the Battle of Iwo Jima.

Rarity

Maps from the Battle of Iwo Jima are quite rare, but Japanese battle maps are exceptionally rare. Of the over 20 Iwo Jima maps from the period of the battle that we have handled, this is the only Japanese map that we have had, or for that matter seen on the antiquarian market anywhere.

Conclusion

This map, with its multiple layers of annotations, offers a unique insight into the strategic adjustments of Japanese forces during the intense early phases of the Battle of Iwo Jima. The overlapping manuscript markings attest to its active use in the field, demonstrating how the document was continually updated to reflect the unpredictable nature of warfare. It provides researchers and historians with a tangible connection to one of the Pacific Theater's most significant engagements.