Original Items: Only One Lot of Two Available. This is an appealing original Imperial Japanese Army field equipment grouping consisting of an aluminum canteen with its canvas carrier and a two-meal aluminum mess kit. Both pieces show extensive service wear and form a representative pair of Japanese WWII mess and field equipment.

The lot includes:

Type 99 Aluminum Canteen with Canvas Carrier

This is an original Imperial Japanese Army aluminum canteen fitted with the early “Model A” aluminum and cork stopper. This was the first stopper type used with this pattern canteen and was carried over from the earlier, smaller canteen that this model replaced in approximately 1930.

The bottom of the canteen is arsenal marked beneath the carrier strap and bears a date ending in 19, indicating the 19th year of the reign of Emperor Shōwa, or 1944. This date is also consistent with the double-buckle leather stopper loop, a feature introduced in approximately 1940.

The leather stopper strap and both buckles remain present and are in very good condition, an uncommon feature on surviving examples. The web carrier shows fading, staining, and general wear from prolonged service and storage. Faint ink markings remain on the fixed end of the shoulder strap, although they are no longer legible. The leather strap securing the canteen and stopper is worn, shrunken, and exhibits areas of cracking.

“Model Ro” Two-Meal Aluminum Mess Kit

This is an original Imperial Japanese Army two-meal aluminum mess kit of the type commonly referred to as the “Model Ro.” As wartime pressure placed increasing demands on Japan’s limited supplies of strategic materials, the Army adopted simplified equipment and made greater use of recycled aluminum. This included a return to the more economical two-meal mess kit in place of earlier four-meal nesting designs.

The “Ro” designation represented the second design variation in the traditional Japanese ordering sequence of I, Ro, Ha, Ni, Ho, He. In Imperial Japanese Army specifications, “Ro” therefore indicated an alternate or second pattern. Specifications for this recycled aluminum mess kit were reportedly issued on July 5, 1939.

The mess kit retains only small traces of its original Imperial Japanese Army brown painted finish. Arsenal markings are still present but are heavily worn. The removable insert remains included and shows substantial use and surface wear. The wire handle is heavily dented and retains very little of its original finish.

Both pieces exhibit the honest wear expected from original Japanese military field equipment. The canteen retains its scarce early style stopper, leather straps, buckles, and complete carrier, while the mess kit remains complete with its insert and wire handle. Together, they form a visually cohesive WWII Japanese field mess grouping.