Japanese medals. Unusual awards from an unusual country

11.02.2022 | Russian literature

Dedicated to the 90th anniversary of his birth Anatoly Vasilievich Ivankin(1927-1990), famous Soviet writer, 1st class military pilot, military adviser in the Republic of Syria, in 1975-1977 head of the tactics department of the Kachinsky Higher Aviation School, and in 1981-1990 director of the Volgograd Panorama Museum "Battle of Stalingrad".

Before posting new material from colleague Chechako1, I had to re-read Anatoly Ivankin’s book “The Last Kamikaze”. The novel shows the events that occurred in the history of Japan from 1941 to 1945, when Soviet troops defeated the Kwantung Army, finally undermining the samurai spirit of the warriors of the Land of the Rising Sun and, thereby, putting an end to relations with Japan that began back in late XIX century, and in the 20th century continued with the Tsushima and Russo-Japanese War.

SAMMLUNG Editor-in-Chief / Collection Alexey Sidelnikov

“Let’s give Siberia to our divine Mikado!” And then sobering came...

Morimoto

One of the books about the war, read back in Soviet time, became the book by Anatoly Ivankin “The Last Kamikaze”.

Honestly, neither before nor after it works of art I didn’t come across anything about Japan, about the war with Japan during World War II.

And the book became a kind of source of knowledge about this “side of the coin” of the war.

The plot goes like this:

- a certain Japanese taxi driver Takahiro enters the cinema to see a film about kamikaze pilots, sees on the screen people he personally knows, including the commander of a squad of kamikaze pilots, Yasujiro Hattori.

The following is a story about Yasujiro from Nagasaki, about his development as a pilot, about his mentors, life, participation in the attack on Pearl Harbor, combat episodes, Okinawa, about August 5, 1945, about the fact that his last flight as a kamikaze was not took place “for reasons beyond the control of the victim”, stating that after undergoing the last rites before the failed flight, he changed his name, and now the taxi driver Tahakiro is the former Yasujiro Hattori.

In short, it’s twisted like in a Brazilian TV series about an unfortunate slave on a Mexican ranch.

But this book also became the first encounter with the names of Japanese orders, of which before that I had only heard about the Rising Sun of the captain of the Varyag.

There was no Internet then, so it was really impossible to find out anything other than names.

But if I had the Internet back then, I would have learned the following.

“In early December, Yasujiro was discharged from the hospital. He walked without a cane, with almost no limp. But general state health remained weak and depressing. The medical commission temporarily did not allow him to fly, giving him a month's leave to visit his family.

Throwing off his robe, which had become disgusting over many months of illness, thoroughly saturated with the smells of medicine and disinfection, he put on a new uniform, just brought from the tailor. The old one with all its property sank along with the Akagi. While he was in the hospital, he was awarded the rank of captain-lieutenant, and another award adorned the chest of his uniform - Order of the Golden Kite - the highest award for flying merits.»

“Yasujiro was stunned by what he heard. From such an angle he had never looked at his life, service and his ideals. If he had heard these speeches from anyone else, he would have thought that this was being said by a communist, an underminer of the foundations of the empire, a corrupter of the consciousness of loyal subjects. But he heard this from Sensei, his most authoritative teacher, captain of the 3rd rank, whom the Mikado himself noted the highest flying award - the Order of the Golden Kite».

“In front of the line is a young lieutenant captain with the tired eyes of a mature man. Correct facial features, high forehead - a truly noble samurai, Lieutenant Commander Yasujiro Hattori! He is wearing a white scarf. Breast decorates Order of the Golden Kite - award for high flying prowess. In his hand is a flask with rice vodka. He approaches the pilot standing on the right flank. The pilot's funeral suit sets him apart from the officers dressed in regular uniform. This is Yasujiro Hattori's deputy, Lieutenant Ichihara, the same Ichihara Hisashi, whose courageous face with an overwhelming, cruel gaze now towers on the facade of the cinema.

The lieutenant licked his dry lips, looked detachedly somewhere past the commander, barely managed to fake a smile, and accepted the last cup of sake with a bow.”

The order was established by decree of Emperor Mutsuhito on February 18, 1890 as an award exclusively for military merit.

The name is based on the legend of the golden kite sent by the gods to the first Emperor Jimmu during his unification of Japan.

Legend has it that the first emperor of Japan, trying to unite a country divided between princes, was defeated, and then the gods who sympathized with him sent a golden kite to advise the emperor to resume the battle at dawn and attack from the east. The rays of the rising sun and the radiance of the falcon blinded the enemies, and the emperor was victorious.

His badge (the order had seven degrees) is very complex, multi-colored and full of military paraphernalia

Its basis is ancient banners with a golden kite crowning them.

The creators of the order thought out its symbolism well. The order became a symbol of Japanese militarism. Many Japanese soldiers and officers were awarded this order for “blinding” the peoples of Korea, China and South-East Asia machine gun and cannon fire.

After the end of World War II and the occupation of Japan in 1946, payments to holders of the order were canceled, and on May 30, 1947, by decree of the occupation government, the award itself was canceled.

I have only one Kite in my drawer - the lowest grade from the Second World War.

The order's badge, like a “pancake with red caviar,” is relatively uncommon (not everyday), simple, flat, and at the same time sophisticated and “tasty.”

Well, it goes without saying that the Order of the Golden Kite was not a purely flying award, just as the Order of the Sacred Treasure was not an award for financiers, and the Rising Sun was not an award for meteorologists and astronomers.

Well, about sake, about the ritual of drinking - the Japanese army and navy have a beautiful tradition of awarding and commemorative sake drinks.

I also bought two of these army cups for myself. They belong to service in the 19th and 35th infantry formations.

“A few days after this conversation, an unfamiliar sailor of the 1st article with a complaint about the non-commissioned officer Gozen approached Yasujiro. Rising Sun medal attached to a hospital gown. He was shell-shocked: his head and hands were shaking, and tears of resentment were rolling from his eyes. Stuttering heavily, the sailor first told why he received the award. Their patrol ship was sunk by an American destroyer about thirty miles from Truk Island. When the Yankees began to pick up the floating people, he did not want, like some cowards, to climb onto the deck of an enemy ship. He chose death over capture and sailed away from the destroyer. Those Japanese sailors who refused to surrender were shot by the Americans. He was saved only because he was alone and far from the group holding on to the rubble.

“When I was talking in the ward about my feat,” he said, sniffling, “non-commissioned officer Gozen said that, apparently, before I was just a cretin, but now, after the shell shock, I have become idiot with a medal.

Yasujiro almost smiled. This Gozen knew how to give a precise definition.

- He condemned my feat, Mr. Senior Lieutenant, saying that clever man If it were me, I would give up. And in general, this Gozen is conducting red propaganda. Yesterday he said that war brings ordinary people Only grief is that war invalids, no matter how heroes they may be, are not needed by either the family or the state. And he called the Japanese people obedient cattle, which generals and admirals drive into battle.

“Okay,” Yasujiro stopped him, “I’ll deal with him today and punish him.” Thank you for your vigilance and honesty. You acted like a true patriot. And now I ask you not to tell anyone about our conversation. This is a military secret.

The flattered sailor of the 1st class stood at attention, as if Yasujiro was about to pin another medal on his washed out robe.”

To be honest, when I re-read this episode, it didn’t smell like “Schweik”. Shveikov's “newspaper convoy stories” are pathetically closely intertwined with this story.

Yes, the Order of the Rising Sun is the most famous of the Japanese orders. And its two lowest degrees - the seventh and eighth, the awarding of which has been discontinued since 2003, are called medals in some sources.

In April 1875, one of the most famous and beautiful modern orders - the Order of the Rising Sun - was officially approved. It already embodies all the principles of the Japanese order system, the entire schedule of subsequent awards, taking into account both national traditions and the simplicity and sophistication of Japanese applied art.

The sign of the Order of the Rising Sun, which has eight degrees, symbolizes the Japanese coat of arms and flag. The center of the order, the sign of which repeats the star established for the two highest degrees, is a brilliant red sun. This effect is achieved in an unusual way - the cent is a concave mirror covered with a red glass lens - a cabochon. Thirty-two white-enameled gold rays of varying lengths emanate from the center. The badge is attached to a green pendant depicting the leaves and flowers of the sacred tokwa tree, the paulownia tree. And the two lowest degrees of the order are an enlarged pendant, which is worn separately, like a medal. The ribbon of the order is white with red stripes along the edges.

Japanese faleristics is a side interest for me, but I acquired the lower degrees of the order - 8th, 7th and 6th degrees.

The eighth and seventh degrees are simple and beautiful.

The sixth is something Martian. It is rare when an idea of the culture of a country can be illustrated in the mind by its orders.

The European “crossing” is, in principle, the same, monotonous - cross, crown, swords.

Japan is just the case when it is unique. Immediately memorable. Simplicity, uniqueness, nationality.

So I take pictures and admire how it shimmers.

“I wonder how he will be celebrated for his unprecedented raid on Hawaii? Of the highest Japanese orders, he did not have only Order of the Chrysanthemum, but it was awarded only to members of the imperial dynasty and crowned heads. Maybe they will give him another rank and make him a member of the imperial council - Genro?

I do not have and never will have the Order of the Chrysanthemum.

The Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum (Japanese: 菊花章, kikkasho:) is the most senior of the Japanese orders.

The order's insignia on a large ribbon was established by Emperor Meiji in 1876; the degree of the order with the order chain was added on January 4, 1888. Although formally it has only one degree, there are two types of order: the Order of the Chrysanthemum with Chain and the Order of the Chrysanthemum with Large Ribbon. Unlike European ones, posthumous awards are also possible for Japanese orders.

The chain of the order is awarded to Japanese subjects only posthumously. An exception is made for heads of foreign states, to whom the chain of the order is awarded as a sign of special honor.

The Grand Ribbon is the highest degree of distinction that can be awarded to a Japanese subject during his lifetime. Apart from members of the imperial family and foreign heads of state, the Great Ribbon was awarded to only three living Japanese subjects and eleven posthumously.

The badge of the order is a four-pointed gilded sign with white enamel rays, in the center of which is a red enamel sun disk. Between the rays is a yellow enamel chrysanthemum flower with green enamel leaves.

The badge, using a pendant in the form of a yellow enamel chrysanthemum flower, is suspended from the order chain or the rosette of the Great Ribbon.

The star of the order is similar to a badge, but without a pendant. Worn on the left side of the chest.

The large ribbon is a red shoulder strap with dark blue stripes along the edges. Worn over the right shoulder.

Well, and indirectly based on the events of the history of the 20th century with the participation of Japan, reflected in Japanese faleristics.

The quote is long, but that’s what the topic is for reading, right?

The main points are highlighted in bold.

“Kenji Takashi poured the remains of Smirnovskaya into glasses.

- Let's drink Russian vodka for Japanese Siberia, We must conquer it for the empire!

- Banzai! - Yasujiro and Hoyuro cried.

- For a new Tsushima! For a new Port Arthur!

Morimoto put the glass down without taking a sip. His thick eyebrows frowned. There was no trace left of the recent gaiety. He realized that the time had come to tell the truth to these barely fledgling chicks who imagined themselves to be eagles, because arrogance and underestimation of the enemy always led to sad results.

- I see that I’ll have to tell you something that I didn’t want to talk about today... Listening to you, I, as a commander, am pleased that you strive for exploits in the name of the empire. But don't you think that you expect to defeat the Russians too easily?.. When I was younger, I thought the same way as you. Yes, I’m not the only one. We rushed into battle headlong, like fighting cocks, completely unwilling to reckon with the enemy. In China and Manchuria we got away with it. Having achieved great success, we thought that everything would continue to go the same way. We were ready to rush through Mongolia all the way to the Urals without looking back. “Let’s give Siberia to our divine Mikado!” And then sobering set in... In the summer of '39, we flew from Manchuria to God knows what wilderness. Desert. The crappy town of Halun-Arshan. It is connected to the rest of the world by one railway line. Our detachment was thrown into the August battles over the Khalkhin Gol River. At first we were lucky. The Russians flew old I-15 fighters. Our I-97s were superior to them both in speed and in armament. I remember one battle... Twenty I-97s went to attack ground forces. We were attacked by a dozen Russian I-15s. We left the battle, gained height to the side, and then fell on top of them. We had a qualitative and quantitative advantage on our side. We shot down all ten Russian fighters, but also lost seven of our own. The Russians fought heroically, died, but not a single one left the battle, although from the very beginning it was clear that they had lost this battle. Our attack on Russian troops that day did not take place.

And then Stalin sent the latest I-15.3 and I-16 aircraft with cannon armament to Khalkhin Gol. And pilots who returned from Spain flew on them. There was complete hell in the air. Every day, every flight, our losses increased. On the twenty-eighth of August, my highly respected elder brother, Shojiro Morimoto, died before my eyes. And he was a brave pilot with extensive experience. The day after the funeral, I flew out with the idea of avenging my brother’s death. On this flight I met some Russian devil and almost followed Shojiro. I don’t know which of the aces piloted the fighter pursuing me, Gritsevets or Kravchenko, but he did it superbly. Morimoto was silent for a moment, as if stumbling over difficult surnames. I broke my I-97 until my nose bled, but I still couldn’t shake the enemy off my tail. The marks on the face that Yasujiro asked about are from that fight. The plane caught fire, I left it and opened the parachute. The Russian slowed down and walked a few meters away from me, and I, burned and bloody, hung on a silk rag between heaven and earth. It was easy for the Russian to slash at me with a burst from a machine gun or slash his wing along the parachute lines. But he didn’t, and that’s why I’m sitting with you, drinking cognac. - Morimoto paused, looking at the smoke of the cigarette. - The devil will understand them, Russians! They are either fierce in battle, like tigers, or generous towards a defeated enemy. Not at all like us. But the Russians are a strong and brave people, and Siberia, where they live, is vast, impassable and brutally cold,

- My father left his leg there in 1920, and he doesn’t even want to hear about this Siberia, - the completely intoxicated Hoyuro spoke quite soberly. Morimoto approved:

“I also wouldn’t like to meet Russians in battle anymore.” There are many other peoples that can be pushed out to provide more space for the empire. What about the Russians? If I were a high strategist, I would leave them alone along with their Siberia and polar bears.

Yasujiro listened to his commander with concern. Did he really hear these words from him, Morimoto, invincible in sports and in flying, the imperturbable, bravest samurai?”

In this passage almost all military history Japan of the twentieth century.

1. Tsushima and Port Arthur. The war we know as the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905.

Medal " Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905."

The medal for the war with Russia was established by Imperial Edict No. 51 of March 31, 1906. It has a diameter of 30 mm and is made of light gilded bronze. On the obverse are the crossed flags of the army and naval forces of Japan, above them the imperial coat of arms - chrysanthemum, under the flags at the bottom of the medal is the coat of arms - paulownia. The reverse depicts a traditional stylized Japanese shield, on which the inscription “Military campaign of 37-38 Meiji years” (1904-1905) (“Meiji 37-38 nen sen’eki”) is written vertically in hieroglyphs.

The Japanese shield is framed by branches: on the left - palm, on the right - laurel. By the time the medal was established, the palm tree and laurel as traditional symbols were characteristic of the award systems of Western countries and had not previously been used by the Japanese.
The pendant is of the usual hinged type, with an attached bar on which there is the inscription “Military Medal”. The ribbon is 37 mm wide and made of moire silk. Its coloring follows the colors of previous military medals: green with 3 mm white edges, but with the addition of a 9 mm blue stripe in the center, symbolizing military victories at sea.

The military conflict between Japan and Russia was largely predetermined by the presence of deep contradictions in the imperialist interests of the two countries, although for a long time it did not seem inevitable to the tsarist government.
Having decided to begin preparations for war with Russia, Tokyo spent most of the indemnity received from Beijing under the Shimonoseki Peace Treaty on modernizing the army and navy. It is curious that a loan to cover the costs of paying the indemnity was provided to China by Russian banks, which actually financed military preparations against their own country.

2. Siberian campaign to Russia.

For participation in the military campaign of 1914-1920.
On April 4, 1918, two Japanese employees of a commercial company were murdered in Vladivostok. On April 5, the Japanese, under the pretext of protecting Japanese citizens, landed troops in the city. Following the Japanese, troops from other countries also landed in Vladivostok. On June 29, 1918, with the help of rebel Czech prisoners of war, it was overthrown Soviet authority. The military operations of the allied forces were led by the Japanese General Otani.

The number of Japanese troops in the fall of 1918 reached 72 thousand people (the American Expeditionary Force numbered 10 thousand people, troops of other countries - 28 thousand). Under the auspices of Japan, the USA, France and England, the White Guard detachments of Semyonov, Kalmykov and Orlov were formed in Manchuria, and the detachment of Baron Ungern was formed in Dauria.

By October 1918 Japanese troops occupied Primorye, Amur region and Transbaikalia. By the summer of 1922, 15 capitalist states de jure or de facto recognized the Soviet state. Dissatisfaction with the intervention in Japan, the threat of military defeat Japanese army units of the People's Revolutionary Army and partisans advancing on Vladivostok forced the Japanese command to sign an agreement on the withdrawal of their troops from the Far East.

On October 25, 1922, Vladivostok was liberated. Japanese troops remained only in Northern Sakhalin until the signing of the 1925 Soviet-Japanese Convention on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations. During the occupation, Japan increased its gold and foreign exchange reserves by illegally appropriating a significant portion of Russian gold.

The medal was established by Imperial Decree No. 41 of February 1920 to reward the Japanese who participated in the battles of the World War in 1917-1918 in the Mediterranean, the intervention in Siberia in 1917 and the occupation of Vladivostok until 1922 with the wording “for participation in the military campaign of 1914-1918.” 1920." On the reverse there are ten characters - “For the military campaign of 3-9 years of the Taisho era” (Taisho sannen naishi kyunen sen'eki) (1914-1920).

3. “In China and Manchuria we got away with it. Having achieved great success, we thought that everything would continue to go the same way.”

On September 18, 1931, accusing the Chinese of “sabotage” on railway, Japanese troops began to capture Chinese cities on the South Moscow Railway and disarm the Chinese garrisons. Within five days they occupied all the most important settlements in the Manchurian provinces of Mukden and Girin. In the next three months Kwantung Army completely captured three provinces in Northeast China. This war of conquest was called the “Manchurian Incident” in Japan.

On September 21, the Council of the League of Nations began to consider the complaint of the Chinese government in connection with the armed invasion of Japan. After a three-month discussion, at the proposal of the Japanese representative, an international commission was formed, headed by the British Lord V.R. Litton. She began familiarizing herself with the situation in Northeast China in the spring of 1932. However, the Japanese, having decided to confront the commission with a fait accompli, inspired the proclamation of the puppet state of Manchukuo there on March 1, 1932.

October 2, 1932. The Lytton Commission published a report recognizing Japan's act of aggression against China, and also confirming that Manchuria was integral part the last one. The resolution of the Assembly of the League of Nations of February 24, 1933 on this report contained a demand for the withdrawal of Japanese troops from Northeast China, although it also recognized Japan’s “special” interests in this area. Tokyo responded to the resolution by withdrawing from the League of Nations and expanding its aggression. On the day this document was adopted, Japanese troops invaded Zhehe Province and soon occupied it. Then they began to advance to Heibei Province. By the end of May 1933, Japanese units approached Beijing and Tianjin.

On May 31, 1933, Chinese representatives were forced to sign an armistice agreement with the Japanese command, according to which Beijing recognized the Japanese establishment of control over Northeast and part of Northern China.

This medal, established by Imperial Edict No. 255, was made of bronze and has a width of 30 mm. On the hinged pendant there is an ornament symbolizing the growth of moss. There is a metal bar with the traditional inscription: “Military Campaign Medal.” On the obverse at the top there is the imperial coat of arms (chrysanthemum), under which there is an image of a kite sitting on a traditional Japanese shield. Beams of light diverge behind the kite. The reverse features images of army and navy helmets against a background of cherry blossoms. There is an inscription of ten characters: “Incident from the period from the 6th to the 9th year of Showa” (1931 - 1934).

The medal ribbon is 37 mm wide, made of moire silk. Along the tape from left to right there are stripes: 2.5 mm - dark brown, 6 mm - light brown, 5 mm - pink, 1.5 mm - gold, 7 mm - dark brown, 1.5 mm - gold, 5 mm - pink, b mm - light brown, 2.5 mm - dark brown. The cardboard box for the medal is black, with the name of the medal on top in gilded hieroglyphs.

4. Chinese incident (including events at Khalkhin Gol).

Medal "For Participation in the Chinese Incident" (Sino-Japanese War 1937-1945)

The ribbon is 37 mm wide, made of moire silk, and has longitudinal stripes: 3 mm light blue (symbolizing the sea and naval forces), 3 mm light blue (sky and air force), 7.5 mm tan (yellow soil of China and, accordingly, ground forces), 3.5 mm dark pink (land of China, watered with blood) and 2 mm bright red (blood and loyalty). The ribbon for the bars had pink stripes that faded to brown, but it was never used as the ribbon for the actual medal. The award box is made of black cardboard, on which its name is written in silver hieroglyphs.

On July 7, 1937, the Japanese invasion of Northern China began with the “Marco Polo Bridge Incident.” On this day, Japanese troops, conducting maneuvers, fired at the Chinese garrison. The Chinese also responded with fire. A battle began that lasted until July 9, after which a truce was concluded. However, the conflict did not end there.

On July 14, the Japanese resumed hostilities, and on July 26, they presented the Chinese with an ultimatum to withdraw their troops from Beijing within 48 hours. The Chinese authorities rejected this demand, and the next day (July 27, 1937) began, in fact, full-scale military operations that did not stop for 8 years, until the end of World War II. In accordance with “tradition,” they received the name “China Incident” from the Japanese militarists.

On March 30, 1940, a puppet “central government of China” was formed in Japanese-occupied Nanjing.
By the end of 1941, Japan had captured Chinese territory with a population of about 215 million people. The most developed areas of the country, mainly the coastal Chinese provinces, where the most big cities, seaports and industrial enterprises, main railways and waterways.

The original Imperial Edict No. 496 of July 27, 1939 was subsequently supplemented by Edict No. 418 of 1944.

It was prescribed that the medal be awarded to soldiers heading to China until the summer of 1945. This award is quite common.

The diameter of the medal is 30 mm, it is made of bronze. Its hinged suspension and bar are similar to previous military medals. The obverse depicts the mythological creature “brave raven” (“yata-no-karasu”), who sits on crossed army and naval flags. Behind him are rays of light, and on top is the imperial coat of arms of the chrysanthemum. The reverse features classical Chinese-style images of mountains, clouds and sea waves, symbolizing Northern China, Central China and the Yellow Sea, respectively. The inscription on the back of the medal: “China Incident.”

The puppet state of Manchukuo commemorated these events with its medal

Manchukuo. Medal "Military Border Incident" ("Nomon Khan"). 1940. Established by Imperial Edict No. 310 in memory of the battles with the Mongol and Soviet troops at Khalkin Gol

The awards of the opposing side, the US Army, are also mentioned in the book.

“Fearing the admiral’s wrath, even the doctors entered his room reluctantly. Hallsey forbade bringing him newspapers filled with winning articles.

Almost all the time he lay on the bed, from time to time taking a drink from a flask of whiskey, which his adjutant secretly supplied him. He wasn’t even pleased with the American Legion of Honor the president sent him for the raid on Tokyo.”

Order of the Legion of Merit - military award USA, awarded to military personnel Armed Forces The United States, as well as military personnel of friendly states, for exceptional and outstanding service and achievements in service in emergency situations.

Proposals for the establishment of an emergency service award have been made since 1937. However, only after the United States entered the Second world war this idea was realized. On December 21, 1941, it was proposed to establish a medal "For Merit". On April 3, 1942, this project was submitted to the US Secretary of Defense for consideration, and the original name was changed to “Legion of Honor.” On July 20, 1942, the US Congress approved the project. The new award was planned to be awarded to military personnel of the United States and the Philippine Commonwealth, as well as military personnel of allied countries in World War II.

On October 29, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt approved the award's regulations, according to which it should be presented on behalf of the President of the United States. In 1943, the authority to award awards to US military personnel was transferred to the Department of Defense.

The Order of the Legion of Honor for awarding US military personnel is not divided into degrees and exists in a single degree (“legionnaire”). The award is mainly intended for general and senior officer ranks, but in special cases it can also be awarded to junior ranks.

Cross "For Flight Merit"

“Charles, I'm serious. This woman, among other things, has something in her bank account.

- My friendly advice is to spit on her. Find another, and in a week or two this gorgeous miss will disappear from your memory. And now I’ll tell you great news: there’s a telegram at headquarters - the president gave you and me a cross “For Flight Merit.”

-Are you kidding?

- Staff Sergeant Gorris swore that he read the telegram with his own eyes. He says it will be officially announced tomorrow.

- By God, I can’t believe that we were awarded, although I know that they won’t give crosses in vain. We honestly deserve them."

“A random nail or shrapnel on the runway disrupted his combat mission. But the unfortunate lieutenant was not alone that morning. Soon the second Lightning from Mitchell’s group, returning from the route, came in to land. It did not produce fuel from its external tanks. This young man’s abuse about the failure of the equipment was even more forceful and sophisticated - he was prepared for three whole days for a top secret responsible flight, for which he hoped to receive at least the Distinguished Flying Cross.

The Distinguished Flying Cross was established on July 2, 1926. The first recipient was Charles Lindbergh for his flight over the Atlantic in 1927.

Since March 1, 1927, awards were made only among military personnel. Currently, the cross is awarded for heroism and bravery in air combat.

Sincerely, Chechako 1

1 - cotton work uniform;
2 - field uniform made of woolen fabric with white cotton lining. The lining bore the owner's markings, the model type (type 98) and the manufacturer's mark.
In the large inner pocket of his uniform, the soldier kept a soldier's pay book (2a), a material allowance book (2b) and another document (2c);
3 — field cotton trousers with ribbons at the ankles;
4 — side bag, model 1938;
5 - the most common side bag of the 1941 model;
6a - leather waist belt (6b) type 30 (model 1897) with two pouches for 30 rounds each and one “reserve” pouch for 60 rounds.
As a rule, two pouches were worn on the belt on the stomach, to the right and left of the buckle, and one on the back, the “back” pouch was slightly different in design from the front ones. An oil can (6c) was attached to the right end of the rear pouch. This pouch was larger in size and had not two, but three compartments for 20 rounds each, that is, the pouch held 60 rounds in total.
The infantryman did not have the right to use cartridges from the rear, reserve, pouch without special orders.
The belt has a loop for attaching the sheath of a bayonet-knife. The scabbard had two narrow loops or one wide one.
The belt was equipped with an open metal buckle - aluminum, copper or steel. Buckles were sometimes painted dirty olive or black.
Throughout the war, the design of the belt belt did not change, but instead of leather, the ammunition began to be sewn from fabric.
The belt was supported on the tunic by two loops sewn to it, one on the right and one on the left;
6c - oiler;
7 — oval soldier identification plate measuring 32 x 50 mm; medallions were made of aluminum or copper.
There was one square hole along the edges of the medallion.
The Japanese always cremated the dead, so a second medallion was not required to identify the body of the murdered person.
The medallion contained minimal information about the soldier (in the picture below on the left).
The inscription on the medallion was read from top to bottom: the top symbol is the branch of the military, then the regiment number, the individual number of the soldier. The officer's medallion (in the picture below on the right) also indicated the surname and rank;

8a - underwear;
8b - two pairs of socks;
8c - toiletries;
8g - small towel;
8d - large towel;
8e - slippers;

9 - early type backpack.
The infantryman's backpack was a simple backpack with a large flap at the top.
On the inner surface of the backpack there were ribbons intended for attaching all sorts of things.
The old type backpack was made of leather and had a rectangular shape. The skin was stretched over a wooden frame.
Shortly before the start of the war, a fabric version of the backpack, a bag on a wooden frame, appeared.
IN war time Such backpacks began to be made from waterproof fabric.
The dimensions of the backpack are 127 x 330 x 330 mm.
They carried packed lunches and personal items in the backpack;
10a - an old type flask with a capacity of 1 pint;
10b - 2.5 pint flask type 94.
The flask of the 1934 model was made of aluminum and painted in a dirty olive color, the cap of the flask was made of natural cork.
A metal cup-lid was placed over the cork and tied to the flask with a ribbon so that it would not get lost.
The flask could be attached to the belt with vertical or horizontal straps.;
11 - a pot consisting of four items: a lid/plate attached to the side of a round frying pan, a container for soup and a container for rice.
The last two containers were connected to each other by wire.
A simplified model of the pot with a container only for rice was also produced.
The pot was placed in a quilted cover, which prevented the contents of the pot from quickly cooling in the cold.

Immediately after the Manchurian incident, probably the most common military medal of Japan arrived - the Medal for Participation in the Chinese Incident (medal of the Sino-Japanese War 1937-1945).

On March 30, 1940, a puppet “central government of China” was formed in Japanese-occupied Nanjing.
By the end of 1941, Japan had captured Chinese territory with a population of about 215 million people. The most developed areas of the country, mainly the coastal Chinese provinces, where the largest cities, seaports and industrial enterprises, main railways and waterways were located, were in the hands of the Japanese.

Well, and then Pearl Harbor, and Okinawa, and Midway, atomic bombings, Gobi and Khingan, Port Arthur, landings on the islands of the Kuril chain and surrender.

The last Japanese military medal of the twentieth century.

The original Imperial Edict No. 496 of July 27, 1939 was subsequently supplemented by Edict No. 418 of 1944.

It was prescribed that the medal be awarded to soldiers heading to China until the summer of 1945. This award is quite common.

The reverse features classical Chinese style images of mountains, clouds and sea waves, symbolizing Northern China, Central China and the Yellow Sea, respectively. The inscription on the back of the medal: “China Incident.”

Black box with silver hieroglyphs

This pepper has medals for the Manchu and Chinese incidents hanging together - from one incident to another at once

This pepper is similar

It remains to throw two Japanese military medals into the box - the war of 1895 and a boxer, then arrange everything on a stand and you can close the topic for yourself.
Beautiful, somewhere romantic, exotic, but somehow everything is fast and accessible.

So it's a little sad.

Order of the Chrysanthemum with chain

The Order of the Chrysanthemum with Chain (大勲位菊花章) was established on January 4, 1888 and is considered the highest award in the Japanese award system.

Imperial Edict No. 1, which established the award, ordered that this order be awarded to those who were already holders of the Order of the Chrysanthemum on the Grand Ribbon. The Order of the Chrysanthemum with Chain was awarded only to princes of the imperial family, the highest aristocracy, national heroes and heads of foreign states. Moreover, in the case of state visits to Japan by foreign sovereigns, the Order of the Chrysanthemum with a Chain and the Order of the Chrysanthemum on the Grand Ribbon were sometimes awarded simultaneously.

Apart from members of the Imperial House, only 13 Japanese nationals have been awarded this highest honor. The Order allowed posthumous awarding. When awarding the order, only its highest degree was worn, i.e. Order of the Chrysanthemum with chain.

Order of the Chrysanthemum with chain

The badge of the Order of the Chrysanthemum with a chain, 60 mm in diameter, is made of gold. At its center is a cabochon made of Japanese enamel. red color, resembling a ruby in appearance. It is surrounded by 32 white enamel double arms of varying lengths that form a cross.

The cross is framed by leaves made in green enamel and four symmetrically arranged chrysanthemum flowers covered with yellow enamel. The badge of the order is attached to the chain using a large pendant in the shape of a chrysanthemum, covered with yellow enamel.

The reverse side of the sign is the same as the front, with the exception that the pendant has the inscription in hieroglyphs “Great Award for Merit”, which is applied over the enamel.

The order's badge and chain contain 300 grams of 22-karat gold, and the total weight of the award reaches 491.5 g.

Badge of the Order of the Chrysanthemum

The order was accompanied by a Star, which had a convex shape, repeating the order but without gilding and without the top chrysanthemum. Its diameter is larger than the order and is 90 mm. The center features a red enamel cabochon surrounded by 32 gold-plated and white enamel double beams.

This composition is superimposed on four groups of longer double rays (three rays per group) of silver coated with white enamel, diverging vertically and horizontally, which form a cross. Between these groups are placed silver chrysanthemums, covered with yellow enamel and framed with silver leaves with green enamel.

On the back there is an inscription in hieroglyphs - “Great reward for merit.” The star is worn on the left side of the chest.

Obverse and reverse of the Star of the Order of the Chrysanthemum

The order chain has a diameter of 290 mm. It has 12 links made of gold. They are openwork images of the characters “mei” and “ji” made in the ancient style, meaning the Meiji era. These links are interspersed by gold chains with thirteen medallions of gold chrysanthemums surrounded by green enamel leaves. The lower medallion, to which the sign is attached, has a diameter of 40 mm, the rest - 27 mm.

Those awarded the Order of the Chrysanthemum with a chain may wear a reduced-size sign of this order around the neck on a small chain in their formal dress uniform. This chain consists of round gold links without ornament, and the sign has a diameter of 45 mm.

Ribbon for medal block

During the existence of the order, only 60 awards were made. Among them is Ryomoto Miyamori Tadashi - a marshal, a member of the imperial family - awarded for special services during the Second World War.

Order of the Chrysanthemum on the Grand Cordon

Ribbon for the medal bar

The Order of the Chrysanthemum on the Grand Ribbon (大勲位菊花大綬章) was established on December 27, 1876, and is essentially the second degree of the Order of the Chrysanthemum. It was intended to reward Japanese and foreign members of the imperial and royal families and high aristocracy, as well as heads of foreign states.

According to the regulations of the imperial house, it was received by princes of the imperial family at the age of 7, and other princes at the age of 15.

The Grand Cordon badge of the Order of the Chrysanthemum has the same appearance as the chain badge of the Order of the Chrysanthemum, but is 76mm in diameter and is usually made of silver gilt. The width of the shoulder strap was officially set at 115mm, but was actually 106mm. The ribbon was made of red moire silk with 18mm blue-violet edges and had a rosette. Earlier ribbons were made from non-maroon silk and differed in the texture of the fabric.

The ribbon is worn over the right shoulder. The Order of the Chrysanthemum on the Grand Ribbon has the same Star as the Order of the Chrysanthemum with a chain. The Order was awarded to 93 people, incl. only three living Japanese subjects and eleven posthumous.

Japan Awards. Orders, medals, badges of the Second World War with photographs and descriptions.

>
>
>

The reward system in the Japanese Empire began to take shape during the Meiji era. At the beginning of March 1873, a commission was organized to study foreign award systems. At the beginning of March 1873, a commission was formed to analyze foreign materials related to the award system.

Ambassador to France Mukaiyama, having ascertained how great the prestige of orders was in the diplomatic circles of Paris, reported in March 1866 that in Western European countries orders and medals were awarded not only for military, but also for merits in the civilian field. Awards, Mukaiyama wrote, are made using gold, silver, and precious stones. Orders and medals are awarded not only to citizens of their own country, but also to rulers and subjects of foreign countries, the Japanese ambassador pointed out. As a symbol of recognition of merit, they are highly valued in society, more than rewarding with a large amount of money.

The first award was presented in Japan in 1874. Long time the appearance of Japanese awards remained practically unchanged, but the text on them could be modified (for example, since 1936, instead of “Emperor of Japan” - “Emperor of the Great Empire”).

Until the end of the war in 1945, holders of orders and medals were respected in the Land of the Rising Sun and were treated as heroes. But in connection with the surrender in World War II, the attitude towards military awards changed not for the better. Japan's military decorations have appeared in markets and second-hand stores. American military personnel exchanged Japanese orders and medals for cigarettes, food and other small items, as a kind of “souvenirs”. Japanese military decorations could be seen hanging from geisha kimono belts, dog collars, etc.

After World War II, Japan's award system underwent dramatic changes. Since May 1946, the Japanese cabinet abolished all military awards as “symbols of militarism.” The 1947 Constitution abolished all privileges and monetary payments to previously awarded people. Only in the event of the death of persons awarded orders of the first degree, a sum was allocated to pay for the funeral rite.

Only in 1963 was the possibility of awarding Japanese awards restored (except for the Order of the Golden Kite and some medals). In 1964, posthumous awards were resumed for fallen combatants, as well as for those who died in captivity. The total number of such awards in 1988 was 2,049,071 people, about 90% of the awards were the Order of the Rising Sun of the seventh and eighth degrees.