J005358 SIX PLACE MEDAL BAR. Six medals, from left to right, the Order of the Rising Sun, seventh class, the 1937-1945 China Incident War medal, the Showa Enthronement Commemorative medal, the First National Census Commemorative medal, the 2600th National Anniversary Commemorative medal, and a Red Cross Membership medal, each of whose ribbons are wrapped around and suspended from a 6 1/4" wide, polished aluminum bar. 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 seventh of the eight classes, is in the form of a three-lobed spray of jade green enameled Paulownia leaves, outlined and with its veins articulated in silver to the obverse, outlined and with a row of four silver kanji characters to the reverse, which translate to "Order of Merit Decoration." The leaves are surmounted by three sets of purple enameled and silver outlined Paulownia flowers on green stalks, five to the center and three to each side, obverse and reverse. 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, with an elongated, vertical alloy hook to its top, which folds down and mates with an alloy eye sewn near the base of its reverse. Chips may be seen along the edges of the Paulownia leaves, obverse and reverse, and the ribbon is lightly to moderately soiled. The 1937-1945 China Incident War medal, established in 1939 and awarded to Japanese soldiers departing for service in the undeclared war against China (hence, "incident"), is 1 3/16" in diameter and features, to its bronze obverse, the mythical giant crow "yata-no-karasu," flanked by two Rising Sun flags (for the Army and Navy), whose upwardly-stretched wings encompass a sixteen-petaled Imperial Chrysanthemum, with radiating lines as the backdrop. To its reverse are three stylized mountains above, and stylized water beneath, a cloud bank, against which is a row of four kanji characters, translating to "China Incident." The swiveling hanger connected to the top of the medal features abstract foliage as its pattern, and is itself connected to a swiveling, horizontal bar, through which the ribbon passes. To the face of the bar is embossed a row of four kanji characters, translating to "War Medal." The 1 7/16" wide, watered silk ribbon has a narrow, vertical red stripe to its center, flanked by wider pink stripes, then even wider stripes in yellow, then narrow light blue, and, to its outside edges, narrow navy blue stripes. These represent, respectively, loyalty, the blood-stained soil of China, the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy. 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. The medal has age darkening to its recesses, and its ribbon is lightly to moderately age soiled. This medal was awarded until the summer of 1945, and was abolished in 1946. The Showa Enthronement Commemorative medal has, set to the center of its 1 3/16" diameter, silver obverse, a sixteen-petaled Imperial Chrysanthemum, in gold, within the opened curtains of the Imperial throne, to either side of which are stylized clouds, and beneath which are the kanji characters for "Banzai!" (which usually translates to "May the Emperor Live Ten Thousand Years"). The image is bordered in alternating cherry and orange blossoms. To its reverse is a banner flanked by stylized clouds, all encircled by the outline of an Imperial Chrysanthemum. To the top of the banner are embossed the kanji characters for "Grand Enthronement," underneath of which are three vertically-arranged characters translating to "Commemorative Medal." Arching underneath the banner, from right to left, are the characters for "Showa era 3rd Year 11th Month" (November, 1928). A clasp is to the top of the medal, with a perforated ball to its top, through which passes the ribbon’s suspension ring. Fed unto the ring is a 1 7/16" wide watered silk ribbon, with five equal, vertical stripes to it, in, from left to right, purple, white, red, yellow and green. 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 medal has light age darkening to its recesses, which only serve to highlight its details, and its ribbon is very clean, with almost no soiling to it. The First National Census Commemorative medal features, to its 1 3/16" diameter, bronze obverse, the image of a "Taika" era official within the outlined border of a sixteen-petaled Imperial Chrysanthemum. To its reverse are embossed four rows of kanji characters, the two to the center translating to "National Census" and "Commemorative Medal," while the row arching over them translates to "Taisho era 9th Year" (1920), and the row arching beneath to "10th Month 1st Day." This was awarded to all those who participated directly or assisted in the first national census. A clasp is to the top of the medal, with a perforated ball to its top, through which passes the ribbon’s suspension ring. Fed unto the ring is a 1 7/16" wide watered silk ribbon, in white with wide purple vertical stripes near either of its edges. 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 ribbon and medal are lightly age soiled. The 2600th National Anniversary Commemorative medal features, to its 1 3/16" diameter, bronze-washed alloy obverse, a sixteen-petaled Imperial Chrysanthemum above an image of the sacred double bridges leading, along the right bank of the river receding in the background, to the entrance of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. To its reverse is a column of stylized kanji characters, which roughly translate as "2600th Anniversary Commemorative Medal," with an additional row of kanji characters to its base, translating as "Showa era 15th Year" (1940). The top of the medal has an extension with a perforation through it, through which passes the ribbon’s suspension ring. The 1 7/16" wide, watered silk ribbon, which is light blue-grey, has eight, equidistantly-spaced, thin, vertical red stripes to it, presumably symbolizing the "eight parts of one universe." 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 ribbon exhibit only light age soiling. This medal commemorated the 2600th anniversary, in 1940, of the founding of the Japanese empire, in 660 B.C. 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. To the reverse of the clasp is embossed a character used as a mint mark. The 1 7/16" wide, watered silk ribbon is red with two very pale blue stripes to either edge, and 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 a light age patina to it, although its ribbon is very clean, with almost no soiling to it. The polished aluminum 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. Light surface scratching and age soiling is evident throughout.

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