J002458 (IJA) FIELD TELEPHONE. A 10 5/8" x 6 7/8" x 4 3/8" wooden case with alloy facings, enclosing a communications apparatus. Its wooden lid is covered, front, top and back, with a screwed-on alloy sheet, which has dual rows of perforations along its front and back, and which has riveted alloy reinforcements to each corner. To its top is ink stamped "2722," and hand painted, in white, is what appears to be the letter "S." A narrow sheet of alloy is also screwed along the upper part of its front, beneath which, doubly riveted to its wooden remainder, is a 1 1/8" x 9/16" alloy plate, upon which are two rows of kanji characters, the second being a "Showa era 15th Year 4th Month Manufactured" (April, 1940) indication, below which is a "135011" serial number. Stamped to the wood beneath the plate is a triangle, underneath of which is stamped a kanji character. A swiveling, teardrop-shaped flange along the right side of the case covers a 9/16" diameter hole, no doubt for a removable hand crank. Three screws, each to the center of nickel-silver plated alloy washers, are to either side and the bottom center of the wooden reverse. A white painted marking is near its top. Within a semi-circular depression, with a nickel-silver plate collar, to the lower right of the reverse is an 11/16" diameter, brown bakelite button, which was likely used for Morse code signaling. The base of the case repeats the arrangement to the top, but without the markings or perforations. A catch is to either, upper leading edge of the body of the case, which, when depressed, releases the lid. Riveted to the interior of the lid is an alloy plate, unto which is printed, to the left, a schematic of the apparatus, with an electrical flow diagram, and, to the right, twenty-eight columns of kanji characters, no doubt explaining its use. The upper interior of the body of the telephone features semi-circular depressions cut into the wood to its right, which the speaker/headphone fit into, to the immediate left of which is screwed a nickel-silver plated alloy plate with a grid of small perforations to it. To the left of that is a dark, alloy plate with four white kanji characters printed to it, one alongside each of the two heavily surface spotted screws rising from it, and one alongside of each of the two threaded posts they are connected to, which have brass dials with heavy verdigris fed unto them. An oval-shaped depression is diagonally cut into the wood beneath the darkened plate, with what appears to be an "S," painted in white, beneath that. A screw to the center of an alloy washer is to the center, leading edge of the interior. Along the left is doubly screwed a rectangular, nickel-silver plated alloy bracket, underneath which are three kanji characters, each alongside a pair of posts which yellow wires are attached to. These wires are gathered into the two fabric-covered wires, each approximately 44" long, that the speaker/headphones are attached to. One of the devices to the ends of the wires is 2 1/8" in diameter and 5/8" deep, with a dual-pronged alloy flange screwed to its blackened alloy reverse, but which is missing the plate to its obverse. The other device is 2 1/16" in diameter and 15/16" deep, with alloy bars screwed to either of its sides, and a 2 3/8" diameter, serrated-edged alloy collar along its top. To its top is the 1 15/16" diameter black bakelite surround to a 1/2" diameter opening. To its alloy reverse is stamped "OKI" within a horizontal diamond. To the extreme left of the interior of the case are two raised, nickel-silver plated threaded posts, each with dials screwed unto them. Upon releasing the two catches beneath the aforementioned ones, the wooden front of the case opens outwards from its lower hinge, revealing an internal arrangement of wires, screw-posts, and black fabric-covered cylinders. "135011" is ink stamped to a section of wood descending from the upper right. Screwed to the interior of the wooden front itself is, to its upper right, a 2 3/16" diameter cylinder, in front of which is a screw-post with a wire proceeding from its reverse, to whose obverse is a dial with two kanji characters to it, and which screws unto a raised flange. The other end of the wire is fed unto a screw on a black bakelite plate, which also has two small, horizontal cylinders to it, in front of each of which are threaded posts with dials with kanji characters to them. A spring-loaded flange is in front of those. To the left of all that is a swiveling and locking, nickel–silver plated alloy frame for an, absent, large rectangular component. Moderate surface spotting may be seen to the frame. The exposed wooden exterior of the case is noticeably surface scratched, and there is a visible crack along the upper right of its lid. A small, alloy plate is absent from the upper left side of its lid. All of the alloy corner reinforcements are noticeably worn, with some having darkened with age, and others having verdigris to them. The top of the lid has several spots of heavy wear to it. All of its components, however, appear to be intact.

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