MJMartin

That Imperial Soldier Support League Document is a beauty. This is the first I have ever saw of these. Thanks for posting it.

Paul that is a great piece to have. I would have to say that Japanese Documents given to Westerners is a cool thread to collecting documents. I have only seen two so far. Hirohito's signature is no small matter. For Japanese it is one the highest honors. Nice document.

I hope that Paul can help with the ranking. As far as the history books go, it is tough pickings. I did a search for "Modern Japanese Military History" that goes from 1867-1945, and I found almost nothing. Now, there is quite a bit written about 1936-1945 and the Russo-Jap War, but about the other conflicts there are only brief overviews in general military books. I even searched the largest public library in the world (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) and found little. I bet that there is something in Japanese written, but my Japanese is very weak. The publishing company called "Ospery" may have something about the Russo-Jap War and the Second World War. Does anyone know any sources of Japanese Military History from 1867-1945 that is comprehensive in English?

George, I agree with Paul, what a wonderful piece of history. The history and saga between Japan and the rest of the world from the start of the Meiji restoration on is full of these types of stories. Japan is a great case study for any collector becuase of this. Thanks for sharing and I hope that Paul's insight helped.

Crap, I thought I was the only one with Gunjin in their eBay favorites list! I have had great experiences with gunjin, as well as koro-koro1 and matsu1121, but gunjin as been the best so far. It is defiantly a great time to be collecting Japanese militiria. Most documents fetch reasonable prices that even a poor college can afford. I have even seen personal collections of items (medals, cloth, documents, pictures, etc.) sell for less than $150! I just wonder how long the bargains will last. One item that fetches a high price almost every time is the empty medal bars, they are out of sight!

I can help some. I will give defintions of the words that I know from the first line (on the left) from top to bottom. Symbols 1 & 2 - ? Symbols 3-6 - A Rank of Full General Symbols 7-9 -Order of the 2nd Degree (Either Rising Sun, Sacred Treasure, or Golden Kite) Symbols 10-12 - Order of the 2nd Degree (Either Rising Sun, Sacred Treasure, or Golden Kite) Symbols 13-15 - Order of the 1st Degree (Either Rising Sun, Sacred Treasure, or Golden Kite) The last seven symbols probably include a name. Whomever it is, this guy was important, and someone is bound to know of him. Full generals usually leave a trail! Great picture.

Second part... Two of the other documents have this unique watermark in the center of the document. They are both for pay increases for this man, dated 1883 and 1886. Any ideas about what they mean or stand for? Thanks!

I need a little help with translation and watermark identification. Any help would be appreciated. I picked up a group of documents that were all awarded to the same person, 6 documents total. The cool part is that they are all pre 1900 and some very early Meiji reign! This gentleman was right in the thick of Meiji Restoration. First, this certificate for fulfillment of military service and extension of service is reported to be from 1869. I have no doubt they are telling the truth, but what is the number symbol they are using? I have never seen it before. The document has the pawlonia watermark in the upper right hand corner.

Here is a picture of my Red Cross of Merit Document. I have the medal too. The document came in the envelope. It is dated Meiji 39 and one of the more unusual documents I have!

Wow, they love their documents. I would have never guessed that about the Russo-Jap Document. You are right Paul, there appears to be no real reason to be nervous. My paranoia will be completely checked and I will go on enjoying the hobby. Thanks!

I wanted to get everyone's opinion on these documents on eBay. This first one is for the 1904-1905 War Service Medal. I am thinking this is a fake just because of its weird design and modern design. Is it a replacement piece maybe? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 This second document appears to be for an Order of the Sacred Treasure 8th Class from the 1904-1905 War. The odd things about this is that I have never seen a mini-award document for sacred treasure and I don't think I have seen the conflict that the award was given in listed on the document. Usually documents have only one reference to an actually date/event and that is the day that the award was given. I am open to opinions on this document. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1 Thanks

I don't know exaclty, but some of the old symbols of Japan were allowed to remain in existance. These include the Emporer himself, as well as the flag. Germany's WWII flag was quite different than the German flag of WW I, so its change is justified. Wasn't the Italian flag basically the same, with just an Eagle removed? Has far as Hungry, Bulgaria, or Romania I am not sure either. I think those flags may have remained basically the same, but I could be worng.

Gentleman, start your engines. This is Rising Sun 1st Class document from postwar Japan. It was awarded to an American General even! The starting price is $499.00 though. I am automatically out of the running. I am not sure if this is fair, but we will see. The link is http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...p;rd=1&rd=1

Rising Sun 7th class from Showa 15, also in color. I happen to like the black and white verisions of the early rising sun documents. I am hope that other people post some of thier documents. I have some other examples, but becuase they belong to other websites I cannot post them. Thanks all.

Rising Sun 8th Class from Showa 15, with colored medal design versus the black and white I own.