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WW2 japanese military sake cup 2015/11/25 10:13
I have a porcelain Japanese military sake cup with some gold writing all around the outside. inside is gold with a red star. on the bottom of the cup are two symbols. I would like to try to find out what this says on the outside; who would have owned this cup; or anything else about the cup. I thank you in advance. I have pictures of it so share. How do I get the pictures to post on here for anyone to see?
by Patti Arnold (guest)  

Re: WW2 japanese military sake cup 2015/11/25 11:45
Upload the photos to a photo-sharing website like Photobucket and place the link to the photo on your next post on this thread.
by John B digs Japan rate this post as useful

Re: WW2 japanese military sake cup 2015/11/25 12:24
here are the pictures
by pat arnold (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: WW2 japanese military sake cup 2015/11/25 12:29
http://s292.photobucket.com/user/patarnold66/library/

http://s292.photobucket.com/user/patarnold66/slideshow/
by pat arnold (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: WW2 japanese military sake cup 2015/11/25 18:40
I couldn’t completely decipher the poetry (sort of tanka), because two letters were hard to read (the left side of picture 1 was almost invisible). But this is my interpretation with conjecture.

The order of the poetry is Pic. 3, Pic. 2, Pic. 1, Pic. 6.
軽き身(?)に重き任/務を恙なく/果たして帰る今日の(?)/しき
karuki mini omoki ninmuwo tsutsuganaku hatashite kaeru kyouno (?) shiki.

What a delight (?), today, I , mean and humble creature, after having performed an important and glorious military service, returned home safe and sound.

Two letters in red in Pic. 4 and 7 represent 九谷 (Kutani), a famous porcelain town in Ishikawa prefecture.

Picture 5 seems to show an autumn red leaf, but I cannot see whether it is a simple design or a certain symbol.

Pic. 6 shows 歩十九除隊五十川 ho juuku jotai isokawa
This means probably “an honorable discharge from the 19th regiment, Isokawa”.
Isokawa is probably the name of the person (or his family) who gave an order for this product to the potter. And the 19th regiment was an infantry regiment whose headquarters were situated in Nagoya and Tsuruga (Fukui prefecture, next to Ishikawa prefecture).

In conclusion, I guess that this is a celebrary memento which the person or his (rich) family distributed to their friends and axquaintances in the memory of their honor accomplished. Therefore, I don’t think that this is from the WW2 time, but (far) before WW2 time when Japan was not yet in cruel and conflictual situation against China, US and other countries.

I don’t think this is a sake cup, but according to the form, this is a matcha tea cup.

I hope other's help.
by ... (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: WW2 japanese military sake cup 2015/11/26 22:44
Actually, guessing from he balance of the kodai, I do think it's a "guinomi" sake cup. It's less the 7 centimeters in diameter, isn't it? If it's a matcha cup it should be bigger than say 11 centimeters or so.
by Uco rate this post as useful

Re: WW2 japanese military sake cup 2015/11/27 01:30
This cup measures 1 7/8" high (almost 2 inches high) and width of 1 3/8".

The red star/maple leaf? representing the badge of rank jimo..what would that be equivalent to? enlisted or officer?
by patti arnold (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: WW2 japanese military sake cup 2015/11/27 10:33
Yuko san,
You are right. I agree it is a sake cup(gui-nomi ぐい吞み).

Patti,
As to a red leaf like design, looking well, it looks like a red line drawn star with a narrow red leaf on it.
In army, stars represent certainly ranks, but I am not sure that this design was used to show the rank of this discharged soldier (this “discharged soldier” and the background I explained are nothing but my conjecture).

Anyway, I thank the poster for showing these interesting pictures, for they made me imagine one of the times of Japanese modern history when military service was a national honorable duty and when the entire society was still free from a pressure and a fanatism of wars.
But this might also be nothing but my imagined story.
by ... (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: WW2 japanese military sake cup 2015/12/12 02:39
I was able to have more pictures taken of this cup...if this would help in the complete translation. Also can you email me directly if there is a missing picture out of sequence..photobucket will not completely load all of the pictures. patarnold14 at gmail dot com.
Thank you all so very much for the help with this!!
by patti arnold (guest) rate this post as useful

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