Japan Labour Badges

[JapanX]

By these photos it looks like the badge was heated up once. 

Or is it just patina? 

 

 

[kaguyahime]

Quote

 

15 minutes ago, JapanX said:

By these photos it looks like the badge was heated up once. 

Or is it just patina? 

 

 

Nick, thanks a lot!

Heating - very interesting! And in result, brown colour turned out to be orange? May that white remains, you marked,  be the result of heating? But why the longest rays have no white remains?

[JapanX]

I was thinking about variant with relaid enamel. Since it looks like a hot enamel the silver badge will be certainly heated during enameling process. Also gilt is usually damaged by high heat. But if this is indeed relaid enamel then somebody made a very nice job. 

 

This is for example how silver surface looks like after red enamel was relaid on the order of red star.

 

Edited January 17, 2022 by JapanX

[kaguyahime]

Since we have an interesting idea of JapanX about reanamelling and heating up the badge, I have inspected it once more. To my opinion it is is more likely to be patina, not the traces of heating.

 

 

 

 

 

Suppose, the badge was heated up. In that case there will be traces of heating around four rivets. Because the rivets are exactly  in the area of assumed heating and they are thermal stress concentrators.   But I can not see anything wrong around the rivets.

One more thing about the rivets. The heads of them (on the reverse of badge) have more wide “minus” slots and that slots are oriented approximately vertically, not 45 degrees, as it mostly happens to be.

What do you, gentlemen, think about all of that?

 

 

Edited January 17, 2022 by kaguyahime

[TracA]

Over a year later I would like to add something to this thread. No new information, but my Labor Badge, with box, and a question.

 

The only information that I can find on this badge is from Rich Catalano’s old Dai Nippon site, via the Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20200731053553/http://www.imperialjapanmedalsandbadges.com/laborbadge.html.

 

I find this badge beautiful in its simplicity. The badge measures 3 mm and the wooden box measures 76.2 mm in length and 63.5 mm in width. When this thread was first brought to my attention by Azyeoman I was enchanted with the badge. In particular, the goddess or god-figure in the center. She does not have a particularly friendly or benign look on her face. In fact, her expression is stern or outright harsh. In addition, I just can’t figure out or imagine what she is holding in her hands.

 

Here is my question: on the bottom of the box is handwriting that I at first assumed was Japanese but then thought it might be Korean, but am now unsure. If someone would be able to translate the writing, then I would be deeply appreciative.

 

Thank you.

 

Tracy

 

Obverse:

 

 

Reverse, with the inscription 勤労章, Labor Badge:

 

 

Box lid with the inscription 勤労章 in gilt:

 

 

Bottom of the inside of the box lid, with 製局幣造, Made by the Bureau of the Mint:

 

Finally, the bottom of the box. Any help translating this would be greatly appreciated:

 

[TracA]

I have been able to obtain a wonderful cased Labor Merit Badge, which also included an outer heavy stock cardboard box with the same kanji on the lid as are on the lid of the lacquered case. I have no idea if this is the actual cardboard box in which the lacquered cases for such badges came, or if this cardboard box was privately procured after the badge was awarded. To me the kanji on the lid of the cardboard box appear as if they could be handwritten instead of printed.

 

The central badge measures 47mm from tip of long ray to tip of long ray. There are 56 total rays with four single long rays at 3h, 6h, 9h, and 12h and another four single long rays in between. Grouped around each long ray are six short rays, three on either side. Inside the tomoe crest at 3h, 6h, 9h, and 12h are four pearls. The circular gear-like device, the goddess, and the rays inside the tomoe crest are gilt; the rays outside are silver. Thye do not appear to have been gilt that has tarnished off. The reverse is silver.

 

It is a striking badge.

 

Tracy

 

Obverse:

 

 

Reverse: inscription on the badge is, counter clockwise from 3h to 9h, 勤勞顯功章 for Labor Merit Badge.

 

 

Lacquered case lid with the same kanji as on the reverse of the badge:

 

 

The cardboard box in which the case was nested:

 

Edited May 10, 2023 by TracA
kanji correction

[JapanX]

Outer case is original. Inscription was added by owner or somebody else (it duplicates inscription of the lacquered case). 

 

Best,

Nick

 

[No one]

Dear Tracy :

 

" Here is my question: on the bottom of the box is handwriting that I at first assumed was Japanese but then thought it might be Korean, but am now unsure. If someone would be able to translate the writing, then I would be deeply appreciative. "

 

It's Japanese (I don't know, why it ends with "futari") :

 

 

for レーヨン / rayon see : レーヨン - Wikipedia

 

On the cases and badges it's the traditional kanji 勞 not the simplified one 労.

 

 

Yours sincerely,

No one

[TracA]

On 08/05/2023 at 15:10, JapanX said:

Outer case is original. Inscription was added by owner or somebody else (it duplicates inscription of the lacquered case). 

 

Best,

Nick

 

Thank you, as always, Nick.

 

Tracy

Edited May 9, 2023 by TracA

[TracA]

No One,

 

Thank you very much for the translation of the bottom of the box and the correction of my kanji (from simplified to traditional). I will make a note of the kanji and change my documentation accordingly. I will have to pay more attention in the future regarding such things.

 

All the best,

 

Tracy