Japanese, Personal Gear, WW2

WW2 Japanese Items for Sale

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

WW2 Japanese 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.

Side view
Front with sewn centre to accommodate a badge

Available from World Military Collectables £95.


WW2 Japanese Army Trench Periscope

WW2 Japanese periscope for sale
Complete with the transport case

WW2 Japanese periscope for sale

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.
JC Militaria logo


WW2 Japanese Waterbottle

WW2 Japanese Water Bottle for sale
Untouched Japanese water bottle with carrying straps

Maker’s marks

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.
JC Militaria logo


Japanese Other Rank’s Combat Tunic

WW2 japanese jacket
Overall tunic front view
Clear markings on the inside of the jacket
Japanese WW2 collar badge
Hand-sewn collar insignia

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

WW2 Japanese Binoculars with Case for sale
Binocular case in good condition with shoulder strap

WW2 Japanese Binoculars for sale

WW2 Japanese Binoculars for sale
Case, binoculars and internal elements still intact

Another nice combat item here. A nice pair of well-used Japanese WW2 binoculars. The case is worn down simply by use and the same can be said of the binoculars which have lost a lot of the pebbled black coating. However, overall they are still all there. The adjustments still work, but are a little stiff and the optics would need cleaning before being actively useable again. 

With all of this said, as a collectable, they are a lovely item. The 7×7.1 binoculars are a tough item to find in general and this example is just a nice honest one. They even have the extra eye pieces still mounted into the lid of the case as it should be. 

Available from The Ruptured Duckin the USA for $495.


Group of four Saki Cups

WW2 Japanese Saki Cups for sale
WW2 Japanese Saki Cups

WW2 Japanese Saki Cups for sale

This listing is a little different, but we like different! A group of wartime era Saki cups. The price is per cup and the seller states that the larger has already sold; however, all the remaining examples are in good condition. They are ideal display items for any Japanese army collection.

Available from M&T Militaria in the UK £20 each.
M & T Militaria


Japanese Soldier’s Personal Flag with Kanji

Original signed Japanese flag for sale

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.

The Collector's Guild


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