Original Items: Only One Set of 6 Available. This is a very interesting group of six original Imperial Japanese military sake cups representing a variety of branches, motifs, and commemorative styles. Military sake cups, or sakazuki, were widely produced in Imperial Japan to mark enlistment, discharge, unit service, overseas duty, campaigns, promotions, and other military milestones.

Sake held an important place in Japanese ceremonial and social life, and this tradition naturally extended into the armed forces. Some military cups were commissioned for official or semi-official purposes, while many others appear to have been privately ordered by individual servicemen or groups to commemorate their service. Surviving examples date from the late 19th century through WWII, including pieces associated with the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, operations in China during the 1920s and 1930s, and the Second World War.

The Cups In This Lot:
- Imperial Japanese crossed meatball & rising sun flag with three-leaf symbol for 7th Class Order of the Rising Sun.

- Large Imperial Japanese crossed meatball & rising sun flag with three-leaf symbol for 7th Class Order of the Rising Sun. This one has gold along the edge in the shape of what might be a bird. There is heavy chipping along the edge. 

- One medium sized cup with mountains and a star with a cart next to a tree. Maybe a temple symbol to the left. This cup was broken and glued back together. 

- Imperial Japanese Army Infantry: Lovely rising sun flag with fringe next to cherry blossom flowers. Chips along edge.

- Army small sake cup with artillery cannon under star. Chipped.

- Badge of Order of the Rising Sun: Features the lovely badge in the center. The Order of the Rising Sun (旭日章, Kyokujitsu-shō) is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight from the rising sun. The design of the Rising Sun symbolizes energy as powerful as the rising sun in parallel with the "rising sun" concept of Japan ("Land of the Rising Sun"). Has some edge chips. 

The combination of crossed flag designs, Rising Sun imagery, cherry blossoms, artillery symbolism, scenic decoration, and an Order of the Rising Sun motif makes this a particularly varied group of Imperial Japanese military sake ware. With six distinctly different examples representing several branches and commemorative styles, the set offers considerable potential for further translation and research.