French colonial order on a Japanese officer ! !

[PATOUT]

Hello to you dear collector friends,

 

I wanted to show you this picture of Lieutenant Colonel Akutsu, what seems very strange to me is that he is titular (chevalier) of the French colonial order of the Benin Black Star.

Has anyone ever seen a Japanese officer decorated with this order and does anyone have an explanation ? !

cordially,
Patout

[JapanX]

Just now, PATOUT said:

Has anyone ever seen a Japanese officer decorated with this order and does anyone have an explanation ? 

 

 

Such photos are known.

Typical WW1 allied awarding. 

Anti-dilution protection for the ordre national de la légion d'honneur, so to speak  

 

Best,

Nick

[PATOUT]

Hi Nick,

Thank you for this quick and interesting answer, so it is a way to reward someone without giving the legion of honor.

In the same order of mind, in France a "préfet" who takes office for the first time the government gives him the "mérite agricole" so that he has a medal to show on his uniform in the receptions.

Best,

Patout

[JapanX]

5 hours ago, PATOUT said:

 

I wanted to show you this picture of Lieutenant Colonel Akutsu

 

 

 

Just in case. 

The back of the photo is stamped

 

高嶋正男 - Masao Takashima

 

 

[PATOUT]

thank you
it’s always a plus to have the photographer’s name

 

Regards

[1812 Overture]

On 21/04/2021 at 15:56, JapanX said:

 

 

Such photos are known.

Typical WW1 allied awarding. 

Anti-dilution protection for the ordre national de la légion d'honneur, so to speak  

 

Best,

Nick

来啦！来啦！

[peter monahan]

Yes, I have a friend who went to school in Belgium and is/was vefry interested in the Star of Benin.  As I recall, a lot of the awards he discovered were 'diplomatic' or 'Send a batch around to the Allies, please.' and did not suggest that the recipient had any connection with Benin, Africa or even France, really.

 

I had a WWI group to a British officer in an Indian cavalry regiment, which included a Roumanian Order of the Crown.  The gent who found it actually knew anothe Brit who had served with my chap and said 'Oh, yes!  Consolation prize for not getting an MC.'  He had no connection at all to Roumania except that he served on the 'same side'.  And I would never have figured that out on my own.

 

So, I am very oinclibed to sahy that 1812 is correct in his explanation.

 

Peter

[PATOUT]

Thanks "1812 overture" for this photo with a japanese officer with the black star of Benin and thank you Peter for your comment

I liked Nick's insightful comment about the non-dilution, but what I don't understand is the choice specifically of this colonial order ?

Why not choose the order of the dragon (Annam), order of the star of Anjouan (Comores), Ouissam Alaouite (Morocco), royal order of Cambodia, Nichan Iftikar (Tunisia) ?...

It only seems that the order of the dragon would be more appropriate, the drawing, graphics and design of this medal being more in the japanese style.

But, may be giving a French colonial medal from the Asian zone (Annam-Vietnam) or royal order (Cambodia) would have been perceived as a provocation by japanese ?

Patout

[922F]

Japanese officers received various French colonial Orders including at least the Royal Order of Cambodia, Dragon of Annam, and Nichan Iftikir besides the Black Star of Benin.  Images of naval personnel, for example, wearing such may be located via:  https://www.wikiwand.com/en/List_of_Imperial_Japanese_Navy_admirals.    Without in-depth research, hard to say whether some of these awards were protocol awards,  recognition for service rendered in respective geographic areas, naval visit honors exchanges, or ????    Images at the website mentioned appear to show concentrations of these colonial decorations in the 1890's and WW I era but a couple seem to be in the 1930's. 

 

Do not forget that during WW II Japanese personnel received both Cambodian and Annamese honors from the king and emperor, French collaborationist governments and possibly the Japanese controlled puppet states.  

 

During and post WW II, the Black Star of Benin and Ouissan Alaouite were likely the most usual colonial orders used to 'protect' the Legion of Honor but examples when other colonial orders fulfilled this role exist.  

[PATOUT]

 

Hello "922F"

thank you for all this additional information and for the links to the photos

Patout

[1812 Overture]

[1812 Overture]

16 hours ago, PATOUT said:

Thanks "1812 overture" for this photo with a japanese officer with the black star of Benin and thank you Peter for your comment

I liked Nick's insightful comment about the non-dilution, but what I don't understand is the choice specifically of this colonial order ?

Why not choose the order of the dragon (Annam), order of the star of Anjouan (Comores), Ouissam Alaouite (Morocco), royal order of Cambodia, Nichan Iftikar (Tunisia) ?...

It only seems that the order of the dragon would be more appropriate, the drawing, graphics and design of this medal being more in the japanese style.

But, may be giving a French colonial medal from the Asian zone (Annam-Vietnam) or royal order (Cambodia) would have been perceived as a provocation by japanese ?

Patout