TracA

No One, Thank you for the kind words. I agree that these are an interesting theme for collecting, and although the basic inscription on the two "fronts" is the same, the location and manufacturer information (when present) could be quite endless. Hope that you are doing well. All the best, Tracy

I am finally getting around to posting my second of three recently acquired Greater Japan National Defense Women’s Association Sash. The sash is of a white linen-like cloth and it is tightly tied together at the end strings, not to be undone. The tied length is approximately 54.8 cm, thus the untied full length is approximately 109.6 cm. The width is approximately 7 cm, although the true width is actually a bit more than the approximately 14 cm that would be calculated, as it is slightly folded over on itself widthwise and stitched on the top, bottom, and one side. On each end is a piece of fabric twisted to be a string used to tie the sash together for wearing. The main inscription is on the front twice in an orientation so that it can be read on the wearer’s front and back. The inscription in black is 大日本國防婦人會 for “Greater Japan National Defense Women’s Association”. Just below this on one of the front sides is a red stamped square with red kanji inside that are too faint and faded for me to read. The square and the style of the kanji remind me of an official seal. On the inside opposite the front side with the red seal is 播州本部 for “Banshū Headquarters”. At the bottom of the opposite inside is 分會 for “Branch Association”, and the kanji on the sash is the old/traditional form of 分. Below this are two rows of stamped black kanji. The top row is 姫路 for Himeji, a city in Hyōgo Prefecture. The bottom row is 黒岩製 for “Made by Kuroiwa”. So, I assume that the sash was made by a manufacturer called Kuroiwa located in the city of Himeji. Tracy Inscription on one of the fronts: Red seal (?) at the bottom of one of the front inscriptions: Inside opposite the frontside with the red seal: Backside of the side with the red seal, with manufacturing information:

Greetings, I am finally coming back to this thread, as I’ve acquired three additional Greater Japan National Defense Women’s Association sashes, two from different branch associations and one, I believe, from a different headquarters. I hope that you enjoy. Tracy The example below is made of white linen-like cloth and is approximately 98 cm long and 6.4 cm wide. The true width of the sash is actually approximately 12.8 cm wide as it is folded over on itself almost exactly widthwise and stitched on the top, bottom, and both sides. On each end is a piece of the same fabric stitched to the sash, used to tie the sash together for wearing. Each is approximately 1.2 cm wide but one is 28 cm long and the other is 28.5 cm long. Because this sash had some repair or alteration work done to it the main inscription is on the front only once in full form. The inscription in black is 大日本國防婦人會 for “Greater Japan National Defense Women’s Association”. Underneath is a two column inscription with a right column of 島田町 for “Shimada” and a left column of 分會 for “Branch Association”. Note: the kanji on the sash is the old/traditional form of 分. On the other front side is a 4.5 cm section that is folded over on itself twice, and then stitched into place, on which 婦 is perfectly placed. Therefore this front side does not have a full inscription. Rather, in black is 大日本婦人會 and then below it is the two column inscription 島田町 and 分會. On the inside of the sash part that does not have the twice folded over 4.5 cm section is an inscription that I cannot fully make out. It is either 島田町?婦會 or 島田町??婦會 for “Shimada ?? Women’s Association”. The inside of the sash that has the twice folded over 4.5 cm section is intended to have the same inscription, but it is incomplete because of the fold. Complete inscription on the front: Incomplete inscription on the other front side: Complete inscription on the inside: Incomplete inscription on the other inside:

Farkas, Wow, what a great story and a great way for it to turn out. Being able to dig up records about the seller's father is wonderful icing on the cake. All the best, Tracy

Farkas, Outstanding! Thanks for sharing. I really love the attention to detail on the design of these buttons. What a fascinating area of collecting. All the best, Tracy

Farkas, What a great post. Thank you for sharing. It's fascinating to see the design development, especially when ever so subtle. All the best, Tracy

Hi Steve, I've been on this forum since September of last year and this March I decided to become a patron (completely voluntary). This is the only military themed forum in which I participate, but I do participate in a numismatic forum. I guess we're always going to have the "fly-by-nights" who are just looking for authentication/price check. They will, as you say, come and go. I participate in the Japan section of this forum, and I both ask questions and try to contribute something positive. I must say that for me personally, the active members in the Japan thread have taken my collecting to new heights with their wealth of information and willingness to share it. I see the same great contributions on other threads here on which I don't post (because quite frankly I don't have anything to contribute) but which I do read. I definitely find this forum of great value to me and my collection. I say, stick around for a while longer. Just my two cents. All the best, Tracy

Gefreiter otto, This is a wildly fascinating thread. Thanks for sharing! Tracy

No One, Very interesting hypothesis. Tracy

No One, Thank you for the magnificent information! All the best, Tracy

…and an example of a Greater Japan National Defense Women’s Association sash from Kyoto. The sash is of a white linen-like cloth and is approximately 92.25 cm long and 6.7 cm wide. The true width of the sash is actually about 13.4 cm wide as it is folded over on itself lengthwise and stitched on the top, bottom, and one side. On each end is a piece of fabric twisted to be a string, one 9.5 cm long and the other 11 cm long, used to tie the sash together for wearing. The main inscription is on the front twice in an orientation so that it can be read on the wearer’s front and back. The inscription in black is 大日本國防婦人會 for “Greater Japan National Defense Women’s Association”. At roughly the top of the sash, which would rest on the wearer’s shoulder, and between the two 大 is a red outlined cherry blossom badge with a red kanji inside that I absolutely cannot read. On the inside at one end near the bottom is 分會 for “Branch Association”, although the kanji on the sash is the old/traditional form of 分. On the inside at the other end near the bottom is 京都地方本部 for “Kyoto Regional Headquarters”. Below this near the bottom right corner stamped in black is a rectangle with a central column of six kanji with an additional two kanji on each side. I believe this is the maker’s mark but I cannot read all of it. On the right side is 京都 for “Kyoto”; on the left side is 五? for ?; the central column is 白井手?店製 for “? manufactured”. Tracy Front and back of the sash: Red outlined cherry blossom badge with ? inside: On the inside at one end near the bottom: On the inside at the other end near the bottom: Finally, what I believe to be the maker’s mark:

I’m quickly coming back to the Sakura Merit Badge post above from October 30, 2023 as I forgot to upload a picture of the gray stamped kanji on the side of the heavy duty white cardboard slipcase. Picture below: 桜 for “cherry” or “cherry blossom”.

This was all that I could find: https://asiamedals.info/threads/unidentified-inner-mongolia-medal.24462/. Perhaps JapanX will weigh in with more up to date information. Tracy

Tony, Wow, what a juxtaposition for those rabbits. Tracy

Tony, What great additions. I especially like the second and fifth. "Poor rabbit". Magnificent! All the best, Tracy

The second of the two Otani Women’s Association Merit Badges that I picked-up is the gorgeous Sakura Merit Badge. Most surprising to me, however, was the size of the lacquered case and the kanji on the lid. Oh, and the tiny satin pillow that came with it. I will do my best to describe all of the salient features below. It is an impressive looking award in a very impressive case. Tracy The badge is approximately 44 mm in diameter and all non-enameled surfaces are gilt, including the two smooth “leaves” pointing up and down at 12h and 6h. The obverse is enameled in white, green, dark red, and purple: purple for the central cherry blossom outline and kanji inside of it; dark red for the three cherry blossoms at 12h, 3h, 6h, and 9h; green for the two leaves between each set of three cherry blossoms; white for the background. Above the badge is an attachment approximately 19 mm wide in the design of a wreath of leaves enameled green and with a physical space between the two halves. On the obverse is a single kanji inscription: 法 for Teachings of Buddha. The reverse is finely sandblasted and gilt with a two row inscription of stylized kanji. The top row is 櫻花有功章 for “Sakura [Cherry Blossom] Merit Badge” and the bottom row is 大谷婦人會 for “Otani Women’s Association”. Finally, the ribbon is a double bow shape, alternating blue and white in the following pattern moving outward toward the edge: 5 mm blue, 5 mm white, 3 mm blue, 5 mm white, 22 mm blue, 5 mm white, 3 mm blue, 5 mm white, 5 mm blue. The pin on the reverse is, I believe, a lock back pin. The impressively large case is lacquered black and approximately 141 mm wide x 219 mm long x 50 mm high. Inside is a purple velour recessed medalbed and a lid liner of white satin. Included is a small satin pillow that is a roughly 73 mm square, I believe to be placed over the badge in the case so that when the lid is closed the badge doesn’t move around. On the lid in gilt are two columns of beautifully stylized, rather large kanji. The center column reads 櫻花有功章 for “Sakura [Cherry Blossom] Merit Badge” and the lower left column reads 大谷婦人會 for “Otani Women’s Association”. Finally, as a first for any closure device that I’ve seen on any lacquered case for a Japanese order or decoration or badge, this case has a heavy duty silver draw type latch. On the latch is etched the name, city, and emblem of the latch manufacturer. More on that below, but I’ll note here that the etchings are upside down when the case is right side up. The lacquered case came inside a fairly heavy duty white cardboard box with a slipcase cover and a hole on the bottom, I assume for using a finger to push the case up and out of the bottom of the box. On the edge of the slipcase lid is a gray stamped circle around the following kanji: 桜 for “cherry” or “cherry blossom”. Obverse: Reverse: The satin pillow: Lacquered case lid. Photo taken at an angle in the hopes of minimizing the reflection of the cell phone. Not completely successful, of course. Unfortunately the kanji came out fuzzy, but they are gilt and crisp and clear and beautifully stylized. The top kanji in the central column is 18 mm wide x 20 mm high! The silver draw type latch, as the case is sitting right side up: The draw type latch photographed with the case upside down. Yokoya, manufacturer of locks and metal accessories located in Tokyo. See http://www.yokoyakanagu.com/.

Megan, Ahhhh, now it makes perfect sense. Thank you for the explanation. All the best, Tracy

I have finally picked-up two more Otani Women’s Association Merit Badges. This one is a Second Class Additional Merit Badge. The badge is approximately 30 mm in diameter. The obverse is enameled in mustard, green, white, and red with darker silver colored (1) un-enameled edging and (2) what could be two smooth leaves at 12h and 6h. Above the badge is an attachment 15 mm in diameter in the design of a wreath of leaves enameled mustard, with an enameled white center and lighter silver colored edging and leaf veins. The reverse is sandblasted and silver in color, plain with the exception of the inscription. The ribbon is a dark green double bow. On the obverse is a single kanji inscription of 法 for “Teachings of Buddha”. On the reverse is an inscription in two horizontal rows. The top row is 二等附加有功章 for Second Class Additional Merit Badge and the bottom row is 大谷婦人會 for Otani Women’s Association. The box is an attractive, simple wooden one with slightly beveled top edges. It is 75 mm wide x 112 mm long x 19 mm high. The inscription is in silver kanji, with a central column of 二等附加有功章 for Second Class Additional Merit Badge and a lower left column of 大谷婦人會 for Otani Women’s Association. On the bottom edge of the lid and base is a purple stamped cherry blossom, at the very least functioning as an alignment marker. The Second Class Additional Merit Badge is almost identical to the First Class Additional Merit Badge posted above on May 23, 2023. I have to make a correction to that post: the attachment on the First Class Additional Merit Badge is 15 mm wide, not 22 mm as I had originally stated. I really screwed that measurement up. Tracy Obverse: Reverse: Box lid: Finally, alignment stamp:

No One, Thank you for the kanji representation. It's always good to see a side-by-side comparison. In addition, it's great to see photos of orders in actual wear. Look at all of those 1st Class Orders! Question: any idea what that is on the sash at the top on the right shoulder of the wearer? All the best, Tracy

Thank you, Nick. Also, thank you for the estimated date of issue and for the wonderful pictures of both the Emperor's and Empress' crowns. All the best, Tracy

Greetings, I have always found the Order of the Precious Crown to be a stunningly beautiful award, especially in the higher, enameled classes. Although I did go after a 3rd Class cased award in a recent auction (and got smoked, I might add) I was able to pick-up this beautiful cased 6th Class via private sale. It really came into its own after the seller did some clean-up of the enameled surfaces. I use Peterson’s Orders and Medals as my basic guide, but I always search GMIC and Medals of Asia for additional information and wonderful color pictures. While looking at JapanX’s 2013 thread https://gmic.co.uk/topic/61163-orders-of-the-precious-crown-from-collection-of-davids/ I discovered something not mentioned in Peterson: on the top “rising sun” disc of the headdress is a representation of Yatagarasu, the mythical three-legged crow (technically “eight-span crow”). Shame on me for not doing a thorough inspection of my piece with a 25X magnifying glass in good light, but after seeing JapanX’s old thread I trotted out the magnifier and there was Yatagarasu, plain as day. This kind of information really shows the power of GMIC and the users who share their knowledge and expertise. Two notes about my piece: (1) it has a PF hallmark on the reverse at 6h (see below) and (2) the silver of the central medallion has a pleasing blue-hued tarnish to it. I hope that you enjoy this aesthetically enchanting award. Tracy Obverse with rosette. Close-up of enameled leaves. Note the silver outlines and stems. Close-up of the wave crests. Beautiful enameling. Although not the best picture, but the best one that I could get, there is Yatagarasu. As a bonus, in this picture the blue-hued tarnish to the central medallion really stands out. Plain reverse. Note: the photo shows the reverse darker than it really is. Close-up of the mark PF. I note that as of October 28, 2023 this two-letter hallmark is not listed on the Medals of Asia website. Finally, the lacquered case lid.

I have finally gotten the time to come back to this post and finish it up. Below you will find a picture of the invitation to the Yasukuni Enshrinement ceremony that came with all of the items mentioned in my September 24th post above. The translation for the 5th, 6th, and 7th columns (from the left) come directly from Martin’s Japanese Military and Civilian Award Documents 1868 - 1945. (Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2016) and in my laziness I didn’t even try to reproduce the kanji. The invitation is printed on a heavy cardstock and the dark gold cherry blossom badge on the top is embossed. All kanji appear to be printed with the exception of the rank, decorations, and name of the deceased in column 8. These kanji are not as dark as the printed kanji, at least seven of them show signs of slight smearing, and some of the strokes are not as solid as the others. To me they appear to have been applied by brush and ink, definitely not pencil or pen. It was a delight to obtain all of these pieces together and a rewarding challenge to research the items and attempt my best at the translations. Tracy Column 1: 遺族御中 “To the bereaved family”. Column 2: 陸軍大將土肥原賢二 “Army General Kenji Doihara”. Column 3: 靖國神社臨時大祭委員長 “Head of the Yasukuni Shrine Special Grand Festival Committee”. Column 4: 昭和十八年十月 “Showa 18 (1943), October”. Columns 5, 6, and 7: “The person stated to the right will be enshrined in the Yasukuni Shrine. This was instructed by the authority on October 14. This is to notify that a ceremony to invite the spirits [of the deceased] and an extraordinary grand festival will be held on the 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20.” Column 8: 故陸軍伍長勲八等功七級 河 原 末 吉 “Deceased/Late Army Corporal Order of Merit 8th Class, Order of the Golden Kite 7th Class Kawahara Sueyoshi”. Regarding General Kenji Doihara: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenji_Doihara A search online revealed nothing about the Grand Festival Committee, its doings or make-up. I assume that the committee head was a ceremonial or honorary position, given that Kenji Doihara was an army general and at the time of the invitation Commander and Chief of the Eastern District Army, charged with the defense of the Kanto region and northern Honshu. I assume those duties would be too taxing to allow an active role in the committee’s doings, but in truth I have no evidence upon which to base my assumption. I briefly thought that perhaps the Eastern District Army Commander and Chief was always the titular head of the committee, but the ceremony invitation in Martin’s book shows Army General Otozō Yamada (山田乙三) as the committee head, thus serving as a counter example to my theory as the Wikipedia Eastern District Army page does not list the Eastern District Army as one of his commands.

Another WPA item that I’ve picked-up. Well, two of them actually. Two Supporting Member Badges. They are of a stickpin construction. I posted one on this thread, on April 26, but that one was without a box and had some discoloration on the obverse. These two came in the matchbox style cardboard box that is typical of these badges. However, I have no idea which one of them was actually issued in this box or if either of them were even issued in this box. Nonetheless, here they are. Tracy Obverse of the two badges. Notice that the pins are of different length: Reverse of the two badges. On the right is 愛國婦人 and on the left is 會賛助員. 愛國婦人會 for Patriotic Women’s Association and 賛助員 for Supporting Member. Note that the pins are fastened to the reverse of the badge differently. Matchbook style cardboard box. The label is affixed to the lid. The right column is 愛國婦人會 for Patriotic Women’s Association and the left column is 賛助員章 for Supporting Member Badge. Across the bottom of the label is 製謹寶堂玉京東 for “Respectfully made by Gyokuho [workshop], Tokyo.

Thank you, Tony. Your comment is greatly appreciated. All the best, Tracy

Although the title of this thread only mentions badges, I decided to post these WPA door plaques here rather than revive the old Japanese Door Badges thread from 2018. Here are two WPA Regular Member door plaques. They are made of wood and approximately 153mm long x 45mm wide x 6mm thick. The wood is black lacquered. One of them appears to have never been installed and the other one bears evidence of installation. On that one almost all of the lacquer on the front and sides has worn away. The uninstalled plaque has a smooth reverse and no manufacturer’s label whereas the installed plaque has two slots for a screw head and a partially torn manufacturer’s label. Despite the slots it looks as if there was a screw inserted through the top of the WPA emblem on the obverse. I note that neither slot shows signs of use/wear. Of course if you want to learn more and look at some great pictures see Medals of Asia at https://asiamedals.info/threads/door-plaques-of-greater-japan-womens-patriotic-association.24106/. Enjoy. Tracy Obverse of both door plaques with the WPA emblem in silver and the silver inscription 愛國婦人會通常會員 for “Women’s Patriotic Association Regular Member”. Reverse of the installed plaque. Note one of the screw head slots above the torn manufacturer’s label. Per the Medals of Asia webpage referenced above, this label belongs to the Kuroda Lacquerware Workshop based in Nagoya.