Original Items: Only One Lot of 5 Available. Sake, a Japanese alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice, plays a central role in traditional culture and even religion. The Imperial Japanese military harnessed this tradition to validate ceremonies ranging from the celebration of victory to a final toast for kamikaze pilots about to embark on suicide missions. According to Dan King, author of Japanese Military Sake Cups 1894-1945, some sake cups (sakazuki) were officially commissioned by the military for various purposes, but most often they were commissioned by the men or officers themselves to commemorate various milestones from enlistment to return from overseas assignment to completion of military service. Most military sake cups date from the 1920s and 1930s when Japan was fighting in China, but some go back as far as the Russo-Japanese war in 1894-95.

The Items In This Lot:
- Imperial Japanese Naval Officer’s Award Plate With Framed Photo: The photograph shows a picture of a Japanese Sailor holding a framed message with this award plate displayed next to him on a table. Both items are in lovely undamaged condition.

- Small Unmarked Sake Cup: The cup is all white with a light purple lip

- Large Imperial Japanese Army Commemorative Cup: The cup is painted on the outside with a scene of 2 soldiers marching carrying a rifle and flag while one plays the bugle. In the background 4 biplanes are flying in formation.

- Imperial Japanese Army Artillery Sake Bottle: The bottle features what appears to be a Type 96 howitzer. The Type 96 15 cm howitzer was a 149.1 mm caliber howitzer used by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. It was intended to replace the Type 4 15 cm howitzer in front line combat units from 1937, although it fired the same ammunition. The Type 96 designation was given to this gun as it was accepted in the year 2596 of the Japanese calendar (1936).

All items come more than ready for further research and display!