WW2 Japanese items have always been popular, especially in the USA. Over in the UK, however, we do not find these items as regularly. Regardless, they are still of great interest to collectors worldwide. So today we will explore a nice mix of items we can find for sale from flags to uniforms; there’s lots out there to buy!
Japanese Late-WW2 Forage Cap
Towards the end of WW2 every army was running low on supplies in every capacity. This led to many economy measures being used to cut costs and material being used in manufacturing. In this case, at the end of the war the Japanese army began to make forage caps from a natural palm fibre material and applied a khaki finish for combat use. The cap below has its original fibre headband and steel grommets on each side, which were added during manufacture, and a stitched-on circle on the front, ready for the imperial star to be added. It appears that this example is unissued.
Available from World Military Collectables £95.
WW2 Japanese Army Trench Periscope
Here we have a nice piece of Japanese equipment, being an original WW2 Japanese trench periscope. Nicely maker’s marked ‘Nikko’ and marked elsewhere with Japanese script as well as the magnification of 5×10. The optics are all in good condition and the graticules all work fine. This makes this a nice display item to handle. Who doesn’t immediately want to look through a periscope?
Both the case and the periscope retain their original paintwork in worn but overall good condition. The only real detracting factor is the missing handle that would mount into the underside. Overall though, a lovely original piece of equipment.
Available from JC Militaria in the UK for £375.
WW2 Japanese Waterbottle
Continuing with another item from JC Militaria as we were still on his website, next we have a nice combat-used WW2 Japanese soldier’s water bottle. Maker’s marked on the underside and being sold complete with its stopper and webbing carrier, this is a nice set. It measures around 7 inches in diameter so isn’t too big for a display cabinet.
Available from JC Militaria in the UK for £195.
Japanese Other Rank’s Combat Tunic
The next item is a classic four-pocket tunic with the correct collar badges hand sewn on. The ink stamp on the inside is still clear and well marked. Japanese tunics are overall very difficult to find and this example is a hard-to-upgrade used example. The chest size is estimated to be a 36 inch chest.
Available from Military Antiques in the UK for £285.
Japanese WW2 Binoculars with Case
Japanese Soldier’s Personal Flag with Kanji
During WW2 most soldiers would carry a personal flag with them. This had a few uses. First and foremost it was a patriotic statement. Secondly, they had practical uses, for example marking a position from aircraft or artillery fire. This could be the difference between life and death. This particular example is silk-made and is around 87cm x 74cm in size with a 39cm diameter “Himaru” printed in the centre. The handwritten markings around the flag are Kanji characters that haven’t been translated. The flag still retains its original strings and has some wear and holes from use. Overall though, a fantastic item.
Available today for sale by The Collector’s Guild in the USA for $250.
Don’t forget to follow our Facebook page! CLICK HERE
Do you have items to sell? Dealer or collector; it’s completely free!
We love to show items for sale from all around the world, so grab the chance to put your item in front of thousands of potential buyers worldwide.
For dealers with your own website: it couldn’t be easier, just get in touch via [email protected] to express interest, and we will select items from your website to include in our daily posts, and advertise them for free! No work on your part required at all. If you have a social media and/or eBay account, feel free to include these in your e-mail as well. We will tag your social media account whenever your item is included in one of our posts so you can gain even more exposure. Click here to see the list of our current partner sites.
Collectors / sellers with just one or two items to sell: Send us an email to [email protected] with 3-5 clear photos of the item, item description (be as descriptive as possible), location, price and shipping options, and we will shortlist it to be included in upcoming articles. Again, totally free!
Subject to approval, your item will be seen by tens of thousands of people per week.