Original Pre-WWII 1931-Dated Imperial Japanese Army Type 45 Officer Visor Cap with Osaka Army Clothing Depot Stamps
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Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice original pre-WWII Imperial Japanese Army Type 45 officer’s visor cap, constructed from brownish-green wool with a red wool cap band and matching red piping around the crown. The Type 45 was one of the principal peaked service-cap patterns worn by the Imperial Japanese Army during the early decades of the 20th century. This example is particularly interesting for its clearly stamped interior, including what appears to be a Shōwa 6 date corresponding to 1931, together with an apparent Osaka Army Clothing Depot inspection marking.
The front of the cap retains its original brass Imperial Japanese Army star insignia along with its brass chinstrap buttons. The original faux patent leather chinstrap is present and remains in good condition, displaying only minor wear along the edges.
The visor is constructed of faux leather-covered cardboard and remains structurally sound, though it exhibits heavy crazing and cracking consistent with age and service. The black upper surface displays checking and crazing, while the underside retains its brown finish, which shows heavy wear.
The interior retains the cheesecloth-style lining with great depot and kanji stamps. According to our research, the middle line denotes the date, Showa 6, for 1931. The number 6 is also perforated into the sweatband, which we also believe to denote the year of Showa. Another line appears to show that the cap went through the Osaka Army Clothing Depot. There is some tearing in the sweatband with moderate wear to the cap overall.
The combination of its apparent 1931 Shōwa 6 date, Osaka depot association, original insignia, surviving chinstrap, and complete interior markings makes this an especially useful example for studying pre-WWII Imperial Japanese Army uniform equipment. Its wear and moth damage are consistent with long-term age, while the dated and depot-marked interior gives the cap substantially greater historical interest than an otherwise unmarked example.
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