| Three very rare soldier tokkuri |
Here are three extremely rare soldier tokkuri from Curt's collection. (Thanks for the pics, Curt!) These are fantastic items that commemorate the suicide bombers who became heroes in Shanghai, 1931. There are three types of bottles. The one to the right has a helmet with two embossed kanji: NIKU DAN or human bomb. Note the explosives tied to his back. The second soldier has the same body but a different helmet. This helmet is glossy black with painted kanji that also read NIKU DAN Click here and you can see my Nikudan Sanyushi page. |
dynamic pose. The helmet sake cup is a standard sized one, and below you can see the two sizes compared. |
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A famous slogan/poem: 'Among
flowers, the cherry blossom is the
most exalted. Among men, the
warrior.'
flowers, the cherry blossom is the
most exalted. Among men, the
warrior.'
Two lit fuses on the bombs.
Inside of the helmet cup.
Extensive damage and
unwieldy repair.
Extensive damage and
unwieldy repair.
| Very rare Human Bomb (Nikudan Sanyushi) soldier tokkuri with helmet sake cup. The tokkuri alone is rare, but the small helmet sake cup is extremely hard to find. This one has damage and a repair job that is slightly amateurish. However, the cup is still together and will stay that way with gentle handling. Two gold kanji on the helmet cup say 'Nikudan.' Inscribed on the reverse is a famous slogan/poem: 'Among flowers, the cherry blossom is the most exalted. Among men, the warrior.' This probably dates around 1932-1934, when the Human Bombs were most popular. |