Dieter3

To the mansion itself:

The outer portion of the shrine, the main portion is viewable but not accessible under normal circumstances. It is used a lot for weddings though. The grounds are very nicely kept:

Some photos of the shrine; here is the main entrance:

A few other personal items:

Here are the blades used by the General and his wife to commit suicide following the death and funeral of Emperor Meiji:

Back to the actual shrine visitor's room, a very nice color rendering of a rather well-known black and white photo, this is big, approaching life size:

A set of sake cups - these babies are BIG. They were given by Emperor Meiji -

Sabre:

This one is in better condition than the Golden Kite. Notice the little box in the corner of the case - rosette must be in there?? Were all rosettes originally placed in these tiny boxes?? I've seen a lot of rosettes in these boxes, but didn't know if they were simply replacements or if originals were given in them....???? I have no idea where his other awards may be, perhaps stored somewhere at the shrine or other museum in Japan???

The condition isn't all that great, tarnishing, enamel damage. The sash is their in the bottom of the case. You can't see it here, but in a photo I found elsewhere, it isn't in greatest condition either, but it is all there. Simply a treat to have found these and seen them unexpectedly!

Paid a recent visit to the Nogi Shrine and Mansion in Tokyo, highly recommend it if you are visiting Tokyo. On the grounds you can visit the mansion in which he committed suicide along with his wife - you can't go in, but you can walk around it and get right up close. It's a really quite nice and seems to have been well-maintained over the years. Unfortunately, I couldn't get really good interior shots for the glare and my inability with a camera, you'll see what I did get below. Also on the grounds is of course the shrine dedicated to him that includes a small visitor's room (can't quite call it a center) that contains some of his personal items. I knew that at least some of his awards existed somewhere, I though they were at the shrine, but one attendant said they were not, he really had no idea about their existence. I regret tremendously not having enough time to visit the grave site of the Nogi Family in Aoyama cemetary, despite being located so closely to the Nogi Shrine. Well, these weren't at the shrine - but they were on loan from the shrine - visited the Battleship Mikasa, and they had just started a new exhibit called the "Spirit of Japan" - which just so happened to have to my great delight a small display case with a few of the General's items including his Orders of the Golden Kite and Sacred Treasure:

Here is the other medal on display:

Not in the greatest preservation conditions, in a glass case under a piece if plastic wrap, or so it appears, and fluorescent lightening, but here is the document with some edge wear and fade to the text:

I'll let somebody else translate this if they really want to do so. No idea what some of the awards are, but appears like she at least has a Sacred Crown and a Japan Red Cross Order of Merit:

Just recently visited the Japan Red Cross. There wasn't a lot to see, though they did have a small display that included the first Florence Nightingale medal and diploma to be awarded to a Japanese, and among those of the first group of this medal awarded in 1920. The recipient, Ms. Take Hagiwara, appears to be well-decorated judging by the photo on the description placard. I don't know enough about this medal but compared to another one on display and photos that I've seen, the ribbon is either an earlier style, or is of Japanese design. Anybody know???

I agree with the others - wait for one with a case, stick to eBay. While not a rare, medal - they are hard to find in good condition. The average specimen is stained, possibly abraded, case with interior tearing at the hinge, or fade. Exterior chipping and scuffing of the case is common. The metal parts themselves typically appear pretty good though - these are what I call "FAIR" specimens are really seem to be highly variable in price. Cased awards you might find going from $40.00-$100.00 or more if it is better than fair. The nicest one I've ever seen (in pictures that is) went for nearly $100 U.S., unfortunately not to me. I suspect the best of the best are in keepers' collections, but most likely they are still some nice ones out there. If you only want to collect one - WAIT for one that you are really happy with, and don't hesitate to have the seller send more pics. for you, get a good look at every aspect. Get one with a nice, undamaged, minimally worn or faded interior and unchipped exterior. You can find them, expect scratches though. And wait for a ribbon that is still of goof color, not too faded, and intact. Soiling and light staining seem hard to avoid with these, but relatively undamaged ones are not rare as of yet. These are two that I have, not perfect, but not too bad, you should be able to find them at least like this. Neither of these broke the bank. I've never seen what I would label as Very Good or beyond that, but if there was such a thing, I'd be willing to pay for it....(hint, hint all of you sellers..... )

Yeah, I was gonna say - that price was low - and they didn't sell for the first (?) auction round. And that red cross one does not look like the others I've seen, that's just the order of merit pin depicted as a mini, no? And the two merit medals are different - I'm guessing an authentic mini they'd be identical.

Thought these were neat and had no idea merit medals had mini counterparts - I guess most medals do? Don't know if they are authentic either......anybody?

This one is somewhat suspicious - I think the actual metal retainer is authentic - but Paul had pointed out to me previously that these represent a long service - and it is missing a Sacred Treasure bar which seems not right for a 40-year span of time! Overall, the ribbons are quite nice - the Boxer ribbon is REALLY nice, which makes me think it is replica, or was at least replaced by the recipient at some point. Still, I really like the bar but can't honestly say it is 100% original/authentic.

I think this one is O.K. too:

I've only got these 3 - I think this first one is O.K. - I really like the National Census Medal, and this bar had one so I picked it up. The China Incident bar is faded or something as the colors are kinda strange as compared to the medal's ribbon:

Thanks for sharing!! I'm no expert on ribbon bars, but I think you are right - this 5th bar would have been a military award with the Golden Kite, and if I understand correctly the Rising Sun here would be the highest class of order followed by the Sacred Treasure, and lastly the GK. (EX: 5th class Rising Sun, 6th Class Sacred Treasure, 7th Class Golden Kite). And again, I think you're right - length of service can be a criteria for the Sacred Treasure. The Rising Sun preceding the Sacred Treasure could also indicate that they'd be the same class - and these would have to be at least 6th class to top out the Golden Kite. You should check out Rich Catalano's new medals eBook (part II) as it has a nice explanation about the order and the wearing of ribbon bars.