J005458 FIVE PLACE MEDAL BAR. Five medals, from left to right, the Order of the Rising Sun, eighth class, the 1904-05 War medal, the Taisho Enthronement Commemorative medal, the First National Census Commemorative medal, and a Red Cross Membership medal, each of whose ribbons are wrapped around and suspended from a 5 1/2" wide, nickel-silver plated alloy 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 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 otherwise featureless reverse has a horizontal row of four kanji characters impressed to it, translating to "Order of Merit Decoration." 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. Both the medal and its ribbon are 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 moderately age soiled. The Taisho Enthronement Commemorative medal has, set near the top of its 1 3/16" diameter, silver obverse, a sixteen-petaled Imperial Chrysanthemum, in gold, beneath which are crossed banners, upon each of which are the kanji characters for "Banzai!" (which usually translates to "May the Emperor Live Ten Thousand Years"), with a cherry branch behind the right one, and an orange branch behind the left. To its reverse are embossed four rows of kanji characters, being "Grand Enthronement," followed by "Commemorative Medal," then "Taisho era 4th Year" (1915), and finally, "11th Month" (November). A swiveling hanger is connected to its top, through whose bar the ribbon is looped. The watered silk ribbon is 1 7/16" wide, and has a wide, central red bar flanked by thin red ones, all against a white background. 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, although its ribbon is more moderately soiled. 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 medal and its ribbon are moderately age soiled. 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 the "Iroha" syllabary character for "i," here 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 darkened with age, and its ribbon is moderately 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. The first three of these medals are also tied, along the bases of their suspension rings, to these extensions, and a loose thread may be seen where the fourth was also tied. A pin-back device, hinged at one end, and feeding into a catch at the other, extends horizontally across the entirety of the reverse. Most of its plating appears to be fully retained, with light surface scratching and spotting evident throughout.

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