J005258 SIX PLACE MEDAL BAR. Six medals, from left to right, the Order of the Sacred Treasure, eighth class, the Order of the Rising Sun, eighth class, the 1904-05 War medal, the 1914-15 War medal, the World War One Victory medal, and a Red Cross Membership medal, each of whose ribbons are wrapped around and suspended from a 6" wide, nickel-silver plated alloy bar. The Order of the Sacred Treasure ("Zuihosho"), established in January of 1888, was awarded to either military or civilian personnel for long and distinguished service. It came in eight classes, of which only the lowest two could be given to enlisted personnel. It is the lowest ranked of the three main Japanese Orders. This eighth class, silver medal takes the form of an eight-pointed star whose points terminate in small circles, with even smaller circles marking the intersections of the edge lines, forming a stylized necklace. To the center is a raised, silver "mirror" against a pebbled, golden colored background. These are the "sacred treasures" from which the award takes its name: the "Yata" mirror, representing purity and wisdom, and the "Yasakani" jewels, which represent benevolence, obedience and affection. Its otherwise featureless reverse has four kanji characters impressed to it, translating to "Order of Merit Decoration." A perforated ball is to the top of the medal’s uppermost point, through which passes the ribbon’s suspension ring. Fed unto the ring is a 1 7/16" wide, watered silk ribbon, in light grey (establishing it as an older award as later examples are in light blue), with a 3/16" wide orange stripe 1/8" in from either edge. The ribbon is folded in a triangular fashion, and it has an elongated, vertical alloy hook is to its top, which folds down and mates with an alloy eye sewn near the base of its reverse. Its gold colored background is lightly soiled, as is its ribbon. The Order of the Rising Sun ("Kyokujitsusho"), established in 1875 as Japan’s first national decoration, could be awarded to either military or civilian personnel for meritorious service. There were eight classes to this order, of which only the lowest two were given to enlisted personnel. Foreigners, on occasion, could also be bestowed the award. This medal, the eighth of the eight classes, is in the form of a three-lobed spray of silver Paulownia leaves, each surmounted by silver Paulownia flowers, five to the center and three to each side. Its reverse has a horizontal row of four kanji characters impressed to it, translating to "Order of Merit Decoration," and the Iroha syllabary character for "na" is impressed to the base, here used as a mint mark. Through a perforated ball atop the uppermost, central flower passes the ribbon’s suspension ring. Fed unto the ring is a 1 7/16" wide watered silk ribbon, in white with crimson edges, which has an elongated, vertical alloy hook to its top, which folds down and mates with an eye sewn to its reverse. The medal has age soiling visible to its recesses, and its ribbon is lightly to moderately age soiled. The 1904-05 War medal features, to its 1 3/16" diameter, gold-colored alloy obverse, two crossed Rising Sun flags (for the Army and Navy) above Paulownia flowers and leaves and beneath a sixteen-petaled Imperial Chrysanthemum. To its reverse is a Samurai shield with a column of kanji characters to it reading "Meiji era 37th-8th Years War" (1904-05), with a sprig of laurel leaves to the right and a sprig of palm leaves to the left. This medal, established in March of 1906, commemorates the conflict between Japan and Russia, during the aforementioned dates, for the control of Manchuria, Korea, and points in northern China. A swiveling hanger is connected to its top, which is itself then connected to a swiveling horizontal bar, through which the ribbon is looped. To the face of the gold-colored alloy bar is embossed a row of four kanji characters, translating to "War Medal." The 1 7/16" wide, watered silk ribbon has a vertical band of dark blue to its center, flanked by lighter blue bands, and is edged in white. An elongated, vertical alloy hook is to its top, which folds down and mates with an eye sewn near the base of its reverse. Both the medal and its ribbon are lightly age soiled. The 1914-20 War medal, of 1 3/16" diameter, blackened bronze, features, to its obverse, two crossed Rising Sun flags (for the Army and Navy) beneath a sixteen-petaled Imperial Chrysanthemum, with Paulownia flowers and leaves arching along the base. To its reverse are embossed three columns of kanji characters, which translate to "Taisho era 3rd-9th Years War" (1914-1920). This is in reference to the Japanese involvement in the First World War, and beyond it to include actions in Siberia (Japanese troops, following the Bolshevik revolution, occupied Vladivostok until 1922). A swiveling hanger is connected to its top, which is itself then connected to a swiveling horizontal bar, through which the ribbon is looped. To the face of the blackened bronze bar is embossed a row of four kanji characters, translating to "War Medal." The 1 7/16" wide, watered silk ribbon has three equal, vertical stripes to it, in navy blue, white, and navy blue. An elongated, vertical alloy hook is to its top, which folds down and mates with an alloy eye sewn near the base of its reverse. Both the medal and its ribbon are lightly age soiled. The World War One Victory medal features, to its 1 7/16" diameter, bronze obverse, the standing figure of "Take-Mikazuchi-no-Kami," ancient and legendary conqueror of Japan, with what appears to be a lance in his hands. To its reverse is a globe encircled by twenty-two "beads," all to the center of a cherry blossom, against each of whose petals are flags with kanji characters to them, representing Japan, the United States, England, Italy and France. The characters arching along the base of the reverse apparently read "And Other Allied and United Nations," while those arching along its top read "Great War for Protection of Civilization." The characters arching along the right translate to "Taisho era 3rd Year" (1914) and those to the left "Taisho era 9th Year" (1920 - Japan fought Bolsheviks in Siberia after the cessation of hostilities in Europe). A perforated ball is to the top of the medal, through which its ribbon suspension ring passes. Fed unto the ring is a 1 7/16" wide, watered silk ribbon, in the vertical colors of the rainbow, being, from left to right, violet, dark, medium, and light blue, green, yellow, orange, red, orange, yellow, green, light, medium, and dark blue, and violet. An elongated, vertical alloy hook is to its top, which folds down and mates with an alloy eye sewn near the base of its reverse. Both the medal and its ribbon exhibit light age soiling. This medal, established in September of 1920 and whose ribbon follows the same design as the similar medal issued to the allied European combatants, commemorates Japanese participation in the First World War, which mainly involved seizing German possessions in China and the South Pacific. The Red Cross Membership medal is 1 1/8" in diameter, of struck silver or silver alloy (as they were made of before the end of the second world war), and has, to its obverse, what appears to be a peacock (the "ho-o") above a Geneva cross, with bamboo branches arching up either side, and flowering Paulownias to the base of each branch. To its reverse are two rows of stylized kanji characters, the uppermost reading, from right to left, "Meiji era 21st Year" (1888 - the year of the establishment of these awards), with that underneath it reading "Japanese Red Cross Society." A clasp is to the top of the medal, through whose perforation is fed the suspension ring for its ribbon. The 1 7/16" wide, watered silk ribbon is red with two blue stripes to either edge, and has a blue rosette applied to its center. Rosettes were used to indicate honorary membership, with the medal further distinguished by being gold plated. An elongated, vertical alloy hook is to its top, which folds down and mates with an eye sewn near the base of its reverse. The silver medal has an aged patina to it, with hints of what may have been gold plating, and its ribbon and rosette are lightly soiled. The nickel-silver plated alloy bar that each of the ribbons are suspended from has, descending from behind each medal, vertical prongs with openings to each of their tops, permitting the hooks and eyes to the reverses of the ribbons to mate. A pin-back device, hinged at one end, and feeding into a catch at the other, extends horizontally across the entirety of the reverse. Although its plating appears to be fully retained, light surface scratching is evident throughout.

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