Origin of Rising Sun graphic on J/C guitars?

[Vass]

1945

Yep, unforgivable error.

[ginsambo]

I blame supermarket sharking and girls underpants.

[Bobby8]

Hey there's some really great responses, thanks guys!

Japan appeared to be poised to become the dominant economic player in the world. They were buying up tons of US real estate as a means to spend all the dollars they got selling cars and such.

This was one of the things I was thinking about and you're right. I didn't know they were buying a lots of real estate but i reckoned they became really an important player during those years, and I guess US took that competition quite positive.

so it was really the first time we dealt with them on an equal footing- not at war but also not paternalistic.

I never really thought of it that way, especially the last part, I think that's even more important.

So a lot of it was being rebellious I guess.

R'n'R is like that, and I guess it just fits in

[Bobby8]

Graphically, it's a powerful image. Symbolically, it imbues the essence of bushido- victory or death, no surrender, no retreat, etc which the fanatical mindset that perhaps a lot of 80's metal-ers wanted to project.

This.

We should project it too, it's never too late

[ginsambo]

So why was the Swastica never used then.......?

[markD]

well, it was used in white-power hardcore....

[MetalDaze]

There are probably many examples, but I believe the popularity of the Sony Walkman in the 80's made alot of people notice the relevance of Japan.

Oh yeah, and then there was this

[Maiden89]

So why was the Swastica never used then.......?

Because everyone would automatically assume your a racist, evil and want take over the world, even though the swastica was used thousands of years before the nazi's started using it.

This might make a bad ass paint job on a guitar though... you got me thinking...

[Rsmacker]

I know a certain saucy little monkey boy who often ends up with an arsehole that looks like a Rising Sun. It'd make a great graphic on one of his Warriors...

[Hellraiser6502]

I'm surprised that no one has commented about it yet....

Warren Demartini's Japanese Rising Sun/Bomber graphic was definitely the first Rising Sun ever done circa 1983. All the rest (Lynch Kamikaze etc.) mentioned came later

BTW: To set the record DAMN STRAIGHT...Warren's original Crossed Swords, Bomber and Blood Skull, and the rarely seen Faces (Kabuki masks) Charvel Strats were ALL done by Glenn Matejzel, and Glenn is the one who STILL paints them for Charvel/Jackson under contract at DRL graphics...Dan Lawrence does not do these.

Glenn was also the one to apply the REAL snakeskin to Warrens Python and Anaconda snakeskin guitars back in the day...he still has a swatch from the original application!!

Today, Even the painted 'DeMartini" Snakes are done by Glenn.

EDIT: Oh yeah while were at it...Glenn painted Lynch's original Sub Camo. Not that Dan couldn't paint any of these and HAS done some for GMW but there is so much mis-information on the net about who paints what.

[Newc]

Well, it doesn't help that the artist's name was rarely signed/indicated.

[TKEblue]

well, it was used in white-power hardcore....

Its actually a religous symbol and some people believe it to be a sort of good luck charm. Then some people are just idiots and try to use it to hurt/offend, which any of those could make sense with a music artist.