Main Gate, Sea and Sky Exposition, Ueno Park, Tokyo, 1930, with faux aircraft cowlings and battleship turrets in 3-D relief decorating the gate.

See also:
Battle of Tsushima Straits propaganda postcard, Russo-Japanese War, 1905.
Memorial battleship “Mikasa”, Yokosuka, c. 1930.

The Sea and Sky Exposition was open from March 20 thru May 31, 1930, at Ueno Park, Tokyo, marking the 25th anniversary of Japan’s victory at the Battle of the Japan Sea (Tsushima) during the Russo-Japanese War, combining patriotic remembrance with the promotion of Japanese maritime and aviation advancement and industrial pride.

The event was organized by the Mikasa Preservation Society, the organization behind the establishment of a permanent display at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal of Mikasa, Admiral Togo’s flagship during the Tsushima battle, the last remaining example of a pre-Dreadnought battleship anywhere in the world.

As with expositions past, pavilions were built around Shinobazu Pond and the Ueno Zoo’s west garden. Decorative gates, fountains, water slides, and water features were erected along with maritime and aviation displays throughout the park. In addition, Ama, traditional Japanese women divers known as “sea women”, appeared as a new spectacle, free-diving into a large aquarium to harvest pearls, shellfish, and seaweed.

A second venue at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal on Tokyo Bay was where the memorial battleship Mikasa and its museum were located, as well as a torpedo launch demonstration exhibit.

Museum battleship Mikasa, Yokosuka, c. 1930, on display encased in concrete at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal.