Item Description
Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely example of a late war “Ersatz” pattern Imperial Japanese Army forage cap. It is made of a very lightweight cotton, which looks to be very similar to the material used in the SNLF forage caps. It is not soft, and the interior is made of the same material. The sweatband is just the same material as the cap, as is the chinstrap. The front features a lovely yellow felt five-pointed imperial Japanese star cap badge, made from standard cloth.
The interior crown bears Kanji ink stamps, which would indicate size and production information. We can make out 昭 和 十 六 年, indicating the 16th year of the Showa era, or 1941. The size seems to be around 57cm. There are only four holes in the back for tightening, and they do not have grommets. One of the nicer ersatz examples of a WWII Japanese officer cap we have encountered. Quality items of this kind are very rarely encountered.
Comes ready for further research and display.
Forage Caps
Forage cap is the designation given to various types of military undress, fatigue or working headwear. These varied widely in form, according to country or period. The coloured peaked cap worn by the modern British Army for parade and other dress occasions is still officially designated as a forage cap.
History
In the 18th century, forage caps were small cloth caps worn by British cavalrymen when undertaking work duties such as foraging for food for their horses. The term was later applied to undress caps worn by men of all branches and regiments as a substitute for the full dress headdress.
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