Hi everyone,
I know this is probably annoying to get yet another request for help dating something, but I'd really appreciate whatever you're willing to share. It took plenty of effort already to figure out what this award was to begin with, and even more effort based on other forum posts deciding that this is probably a Taisho-era medal. It looks like it's 3rd class to me, but I'm not sure. And rest assured that I have a copy on the way of Peterson's Orders & Medals of Japan and Associated States.
This thing has been sitting on the shelf at my parents' house since before I was born. When my grandfather was in Japan during the post-WW2 reconstruction, he had a few roles. One was being a school superintendent, since he was a teacher; another was in a legal capacity, since he was also a lawyer when a civilian. During his time there, the story goes, he helped out various people who gave him things as gestures of gratitude and of honor. This medal was one of them (another gesture was a woman's wedding dress that he felt would be impolite not to accept). I WISH there was a way to find out who gave my grandfather this award, because I would love to be able to give it back to the family. But I'm sure that's not possible to identify, as there is no certificate, and good conscience precludes selling it. So instead, it will sit on our family mantles and shelves in places of honor until a housefire or burglar takes it off our hands. Still, though, it would be nice to know a little more about this award so I can pass that information on to my children (when the time comes, hopefully a long time from now) so they know what's sitting on the shelf.
Thanks in advance for anyone's input.
Rising Sun 1.pdf
Rising Sun 2.pdf
Rising Sun 3.pdf
