Original Item: Only One Available. This is an interesting and highly displayable WWII Japanese aircraft relic consisting of an aluminum fragment reportedly recovered from a Nakajima B5N “Kate” carrier attack aircraft on Shumshu Island in the Kurils, mounted in a commemorative frame. The aluminum fragment measures approximately 1 ⅛ x 2 ⅛ inches, while the complete framed display measures 11 ⅜ x 17 ½ inches. It is numbered 10/10, making this the final example in a limited series of ten framed displays produced from the recovered material.

The Nakajima B5N, known to the Allies by the reporting name “Kate,” was the principal Japanese Navy carrier attack aircraft during the opening years of the Pacific War. The B5N2 variant became especially famous for its role in the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, where aircraft of this type served both as torpedo bombers and level bombers. The B5N also fought throughout the early carrier battles of the Pacific, including Coral Sea and Midway, before gradually being supplanted by newer designs. U.S. Navy histories identify the B5N2 as the Type 97 carrier attack aircraft commonly carried aboard Japanese fleet carriers during this period. Naval History and Heritage Command

By 1945, however, surviving B5Ns were being used in secondary and land based roles. Shumshu, at the northern end of the Kuril chain, became the site of one of the last major ground battles of WWII when Soviet forces invaded in August 1945.

Aircraft of the B5N family are specifically documented at Kataoka Airfield on Shumshu, including several aircraft left behind when their parent units moved south. One documented surviving B5N from Shumshu was still operational in August 1945 and participated in an attack against Lopatka Point on the Kamchatka Peninsula on August 10, 1945, only days before the Soviet invasion. Pacific Wrecks

That gives the setting of this relic real historical weight. The B5N type had been present at the beginning of the Pacific War and examples were still serving in the far northern reaches of the Japanese empire during its final days.

The framed display itself carries the evocative statement that the aircraft at Shumshu “saw the red sun that rose with the attack upon Pearl Harbor, finally set” and that “The Kanko witnessed both events.” That wording should be understood symbolically as referring to the B5N aircraft type, rather than proving that this particular fragment came from an individual airframe that participated in both Pearl Harbor and the fighting around Shumshu.

The aluminum fragment is securely mounted within the display and measures approximately 1 ⅛ x 2 ⅛ inches. The frame remains in great overall condition and retains its mounting hooks for immediate display.

The reverse or lower portion is numbered:

10/10

indicating this was the last of ten examples produced from the recovered aircraft material.

For the collector, the appeal lies in the combination of an actual aircraft relic, a famous Japanese naval aviation type, the remote Shumshu battlefield association, and the limited nature of the display. It would make an excellent addition to a Pearl Harbor, Japanese Naval Aviation, Nakajima B5N “Kate,” Kuril Islands, Soviet-Japanese War, aircraft relic, or broader WWII Pacific collection.