There are a few types of cups that are much rarer than others: tank unit cups,
cups from Taiwan, train engine cups, and some of the rarer helmet-type cups.
Named ship cups belong in this group. Few of these cups remain--or can be
found--for unknown reasons. But a cup given to a sailor from a certain ship has a
nice historic flavor to it. And the fates of most of these ships adds to the rarity
and the attraction of owning some of these parts of history.
BATTLESHIP ASAHI
The characters read 'Warship Asahi, Urashio Defense
Commemorative.' Urashio is the old Japanese name for
Vladivostok (Russia). This may have been during the battle
of Port Arthur. It is very rare to have not only a named
warship cup, but also one that pinpoints a place where the
ship was located.
Cruiser Aso
Superbly hand-painted named warship cup, very scarce. Note the fine detail
in the ship.
Inscribed 'Meiji 40 [1907] Warship Hashidate, Long Voyage Across the Seas
Commemorative, Kumagai'.
Very rare sake cup set from one of the most famous
battleships in Japanese history, the Mikasa.
Click here for the Wikipedia entry on this ship.
Minty and really beautiful, untouched throughout the
years. Obviously, items from this battleship are
exceedingly rare.
Inscribed 'Onkokenshou,' which translates
something like 'In praise of deeds gone unnoticed.'
On the reverse 'Battleship Mikasa, Gift to
Hishashiishi Taro, From All the Non-Commissioned
Officers'.

Notice the fine gilt work, which includes many
traditional Japanese symbols: crane, turtle, pine,
cherry blossoms, and bamboo.
The light cruiser Tatsuta. Lacquered wood cup with gold gilt leaves and
wavy lines that probably represent water.
Inscribed in the base 'Showa 4 [1929] October 13-14th, The Crown
Prince [?]hito, Boarding the Vessel Commemorative, Warship Tatsuta'.
Here is a superb named warship cup with a detailed map of the Pacific.
Labeled on this map are the different places the ship went on her voyage. A
line shows the route.

The places labeled (in order) are Yosuka, Keelung [Taiwan], Macaw,
Chujowan Takanu (???), Hong Kong, Palau, Angaur, Yap, Truk, Jaluit Atoll,
Hawaii, Honolulu, San Pedro, San Francisco, and Vancouver.

Inscribed 'with four pairs of highly stylized kanji: 'Taisho 8 [possibly 6], Long
Voyage, Yakumo'.

The cruiser Yakumo went on 14 different training voyages beginning in 1921,
so Taisho 8 [1920] would probably be the correct date. (If so, this voyage
must have been something other than a training voyage.)
Sake cup from the battlecruiser Kongo.
Click here for the Wikipedia entry on this ship.

Nice hand-painted battle flag and anchor. Around the
rim is a series of Imperial mums.  
Inscribed 'Battleship Kongo, Voyage Commemorative'.
Inscribed: 'Warship Soya, Long Voyage Commemorative, Ichinose.'
This cruiser was originally a Russian warship and was returned to Russia in
1916. The training voyages referred to in the inscription were made from 1909
to 1913, so this cup dates to that time period.
A named ship lacquered wood cup with gilt blossom, battle flag,
and torpedo. It looks like there was a name inscribed below the
torpedo, but it has been rubbed out.

Inscribed 'Warship Hirado, From All the Members of the Torpedo
Firing Crew.' The Hirado was launched on June 29, 1911. She
served in the 2nd China War as a reverse vessel and was stricken
from the lists in 1940.
Named warship cup.
Inscribed 'Warship Izumo,  Dispatch to America Commemorative, Fujimori.'
The cruiser Izumo traveled to America in 1909.
Named warship cup. The design also has a family crest above the flags.
Inscribed 'Celebration' and on the reverse 'Gift, Warship Chiyoda, 2nd Squad, From all
the NCOs.'
Note that there were two main ships with this name, but the style of the cup suggests
that it belongs to the cruiser Chiyoda, not the aircraft carrier of the same name.
Lacquered wood cup with a gold gilt Emperor's standard. These rarely
appear on sake cups and indicate a direct connection with the Emperor.
This is also a named warship cup.
Inscribed 'Taisho 11 [1922] Empress Consort Her Imperial Highness
[Boarding the Vessel?] Commemorative, Destroyer Fuji.'
Note that this ship is not the Battleship Fuji, which uses different kanji.
Named warship cup.
Inscribed: 'Warship Kurama, English King Coronation Ceremony Commemorative.'
This was for George V's ceremony in 1910.
There is also a poem of some sort in the center
Inner label, describing the event
Outer label, describing the shop where these cups
were made. It is labeled 'made in the country of
Satsuma.' Kagoshima city, down in southern Japan
where they are famous for pewter-ware
An extremely rare matched set of named warship cups. Not only do they have an
inscription, but the inside label notes exactly who received the cups and when they
received them. This kind of detail is rarely found for any military sake cups.

The label reads 'The Origin of these Commemorative Sake Cups. In Showa 4 [1929]
May 20 the Crown Prince of England visited Japan to receive a medal and while here
he visited Kure, Etajima, Miyajima, and Kobe. Those who accompanied the Prince in
his voyages received 50 yen. Also, from June 1st to the 8th in the same year, they
escorted His Imperial Highness the Emperor on a tour through Kushimoto, Tanabe,
Osaka, and Kobe. For this good conduct, each member of the crew received an
additional 50 yen. In addition to the monetary rewards listed to the right, all crew
members received these pewter cups to eternally commemorate  their glory. Showa
4 [1929] July, Celebratory Day. Captain of the Destroyer Hamakaze, Yasutomi
Yoshisuke.'

The katakana on the ship picture say 'Hamakaze.'

The cups are inscribed 'Showa 4 [1929] Good Conduct Escort as well as Patrol
Commemorative. Destroyer Hamakaze.'
The Isokaze-Class Destroyer Hamakaze was built in 1915 at the Mitsubishi
Shipbuilding Yard in Nagasaki. It was struck from the lists in 1935.

The Crown Prince referred to here is Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester. He received
the Order of the Chrysanthemum in 1929. He also visited Yasukuni Shrine on May 5th
of that year.

Made of Satsuma pewter.