RichC

I wrote up a short (but incomplete) history of the group on my website: http://www.imperialj...com/budoku.html In a sense the group did issue the Butoku-kai medals on behalf of the government of Japan since the latter had pretty much taken over the group. Semantics, I suppose, but it is important to know that the group issued membership and merit medals and they were issued with the direct blessing of the government. And although there is a present-day group with the same name as the older one, they are not directly related. The later group took its name from the former and they both are (were) concerned with the martial arts, but they are not the same group.

It is a legitimate medal from Japan. However, with no case and no breast badge, I think the asking price is a bit high.

These were awarded to someone famous: Katou Tateo. Read about him here: http://en.wikipedia....Tateo_Kat%C5%8D The Emperor-signed document and Katou's documents in one thread! Wow! Note that the first award was in Showa 13 [1938] but the latter (Rising Sun award) is dated May 22, 1942, which is the day of Katou's death. Awarded posthumously.

You're welcome, Stu.

'Mizumoto Unit.'

I suspect the badge on the top left has crossed pen tips, often found on school club (often speech) badges. But with the pictures given, one cannot be sure.

Viewing that document, Mr. Murphy, was indeed a pleasure. Excellent! Thanks for sharing.

By the way, if you are looking for a rare replica, it is probably the one with the blank reverse. That is the first one I have seen of its kind, and it may be an error. A rare replica variant!

Paul is correct. I think you have posted all the varieties. As for the last two you posted, the extra marking means 'pure silver' so these usually get a higher price. Although they are indeed not the real thing, they are certainly not fakes. Replicas, yes, but not fakes. The group that made these in the 1970s (and perhaps later) never intended to deceive anyone. They were given to veterans. The reason I wrote that is I have read on other forums that people are angry that so many fake ones are being sold. If a seller is claiming that it is authentic when it isn't, the medal itself (and its makers) are not at fault; the seller is. Cheers, Rich

I'm not sure, but I think that the more money one donated, the higher the class of medal one received. Cheers, Rich

No connection to any medal. The sashes have different colors, and these signify officers, NCO, etc. However, I cannot recall what each color means...

Off the top of my head, with no facts to back up what I say, I imagine that one of two scenarios happened. 1. In a museum 2. Still in the family. I tend to think #2 is most likely.

One thing you must always be aware of: Dealers mix and match when it comes to boxes, too. Probably not much malice intended, though. I have been to an antique shop here where I bought a loose document and the dealer just took one of many presentation boxes off the shelves to put the document in. As for the boxes and tubes, I suppose most people think that one is as good as the other. So just because you find a Showa-era document with a box doesn't necessarily mean that they originally came together. Cheers, Rich

I'm not sure about the tubes and wood boxes. Going by current standards (graduation diplomas, etc. are awarded in tubes after being presented open),　I think you may be right about the dating of the two (box being earlier), but who knows when this changed. The black lacquer boxes are all privately commissioned. Cheers, Rich

Both ribbon bars and the metal holders are currently being produced in Japan, the former in substantial numbers from what I've heard. I'm not sure how one would determine age. Cheers, Rich

Thanks for the confirmation, Paul. You are right--one can rarely find the matching documents together, which is why I had a sliver of doubt about whether Japanese received both. Cheers, Rich

Not only is the document rare, but it was also awarded to Sukegawa, therefore the high price. This document awarded to a 'regular' person would never fetch such a price, though it would still be pricey.

Sorry that my post above merely copied your original post. I'm not sure what I did wrong... Anyway, your guess is correct. It is for the Manchukuo National Foundation Merit Medal, and this document was issued by the Manchukuo government. Note that Japanese citizens would also have received a permission document that allowed him/her to receive a medal from a foreign government. This permission document also named the medal that would have been awarded. As far as I know, a Japanese citizen would have received both documents when being awarded a medal such as the one mentioned above. Am I mistaken? Or was it just the permission document? Cheers, Rich

In this case, they were all awarded to the same person, Major-General Sukegawa Seiji. Commanding officer of the 38th Infantry Regiment from March 1 1937 to July 1938. This regiment was involved in the Rape of Nanking in 1937 under his command. Right before that he was stationed in Taiwan from 1/1935 to 3/1/1937. He ended his career stationed in the homelands (Kobe, I think). Anyway, a fairly well-known officer with an interesting history. Some hefty prices for documents that are otherwise somewhat inexpensive. Cheers, Rich