Horse power: the Japanese army, Mongolia and the horse, 1927-43.

This article examines the promotion of Mongolia as a source of mounts by the Japanese army through a campaign that gathered momentum in the late 1920s. This campaign was one part of a larger campaign to promote the importance of 'Man-Mō' (Manchuria-Mongolia) within Japan, a campaign that made use of evocative language to trumpet Japan's claim to the region. The promotion of Mongolia as a source of mounts continued into the 1930s and 1940s and made use of a range of media, including print, film and sound recordings. The promotion of Mongolia as a source of horses was often couched in romantic terms, with Mongolia as a place of sweeping plains, lone horsemen and mysterious strangers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]