Original Item: Only One Available. This is a solid condition Japanese Imperial Army Type 45 Non-commissioned Officer's Visor hat. It has a body of brown/green wool with a top panel seam of red piping, matching the color of the red wool cap band. The NCO version has a more "relaxed" look than the officer version, without the crown stiffener.

The center front of cap features a brass Imperial Japanese Army Star, however the chin strap and cherry blossom buttons have been removed. The black visor is in good condition, however it does show wear. The finish on the top has just a bit of cracking, and there is some finish loss on the trim.

The interior is missing the rayon lining, which is somewhat typical due to wear. It was also sometimes removed due to the heat. The black oilcloth sweatband shows wear but is complete, with a split at the rear near the lacing. It is however very stiff and the finish is cracked throughout. Areas of light mothing are present, but only go through the material in a few places.

Size is approximately 7" (56cm). It has a look to it which shows it saw much service. This hat was most likely a USGI bring back from the Pacific Theater of WWII, however we do not have any specifics of how it came to the United States.

A very nice example, ready to display!

The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor of Japan as supreme commander of the army and the navy. Later an Inspectorate General of Aviation became the third agency with oversight of the army. During wartime or national emergencies, the nominal command functions of the emperor would be centralized in an Imperial General Headquarters (IGHQ), an ad-hoc body consisting of the chief and vice chief of the Army General Staff, the Minister of the Army, the chief and vice chief of the Naval General Staff, the Inspector General of Aviation, and the Inspector General of Military Training.