| Interesting tokkuri that appears to be post-war. The central inscription reads 'Victorious Army,' and the stamped red inscription on the reverse reads 'Store Specially Reserved for the Victorious Army, Hashimoto Sake Shop, West Tachiarai, Denmatsu #55.' The latter is an address. I did a quick web search and actually found a photo of the shop. As you can see, it is boarded up. The site this photo was on was dedicated to documenting Japanese post office boxes, one of which you can see in the lower right. Tachiarai was notable for having an Army Flight School and for being one of the kamikaze bases. The city (quite small) is located in Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan. So though the bottle looks fairly new, it may be a 1960s-era item made for veterans. |








| Scarce steel (?) military cup with a nice presentation box. Inscribed in the bowl 'Imperial Gift.' On the reverse 'China Garrison, Infantry 1st Regiment, 1st Machine Gun Company, Showa 12 [1937] February 10, Aide-de-camp to the Emperor, [???].' Note that the latter phrase in Japanese is jiju bukan. Here is the Wikipedia page that explains the position: AIDE-DE-CAMP After this phrase is a 3-kanji combination that appears to mean 'someone who looks over the situation.' |



| Extremely rare military cup with a Polydor Records emblem and inscription. Perhaps the soldier had worked for that company, though I am not sure. Japan Polydor Records was established in 1927. Inscribed '8th Division, Victorious Return Commemorative.' At the bottom: 'Polydor Records.' |



| Very rare--perhaps unique--glass cup with crossed flags and a small picture of a soldier. His uniform suggests the Meiji era. The cup is hollow and the flags are made of cloth. The photo is loose inside, so the position varies. However, the cup is sealed and cannot be opened without damaging it. |



| Superb lacquered wood cup with a stunning design. A sun with frayed (jagged) rays extends over a map of Manchuria, and gilt blossoms are next to the map. Obviously symbolizing Japan's taking over of Manchuria... Cities labeled on the map include Port Arthur, Dairen, and Mukden. What appear to be rail lines are also detailed with dots. Inscribed 'Meiji 44 [1911] February, In the Vicinity of Port Arthur, Manchuria, Imperial Gift Commemorative.' |


| Lacquered wood cup with gilt American and Japanese national flags. Inscribed '1913' and on the reverse 'Seattle/Alaska, Motherland Tour Group Commemorative.' I did a quick web search about this and discovered this tour group name (Bokoku Kankou-dan) was attached to a few different groups of 2nd generation (and perhaps 3rd & 4th generations) Japanese-Americans who returned to visit Japan. All of the references I found were dated in the Taisho era (1912-26), so either this was a fad during this period or perhaps there was a single company that conducted tours under this name. |












