J005658 FOUR PLACE MEDAL BAR. Four medals, from left to right, the Order of the Golden Kite, seventh class, the 1914-20 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 5" wide, nickel-silver plated alloy bar. The Order of the Golden Kite ("Kinshi Kunsho"), established in February of 1890, was a purely military award for bravery or leadership. General officers were eligible for its first to third grades, field officers its second to fourth, junior officers its third to fifth, non-commissioned officers its fourth to sixth, and soldiers its fifth to seventh grades. The Order was abolished in 1947. This seventh class silver award is in the form of crossed Samurai shields, with crossed, sheathed swords laid over them, banners with heraldic devices along either side of them, and, to the center, a vertical, sheathed halberd, surmounted by a spread winged, gilded falcon. The falcon is the "kite" from which the award takes its name, and relates to a story about the first Japanese emperor, who, after having been defeated by a rival prince, was sent a divine messenger in the form of a golden falcon, who advised his successful counter-attack, and who perched atop his standard during the battle. Its reverse is featureless. A perforated ball is to the top of the falcon’s head, through which passes the ribbon’s suspension ring. Fed unto the ring is a 1 7/16" wide, watered silk ribbon, in blue-green, which has a 3/16" wide, vertical white stripe 1/8" in from either edge. An elongated, vertical alloy hook is to its top, which folds down and mates with an eye sewn to its reverse. The medal has darkened to its recesses, and its falcon has dulled with age. The ribbon is moderately soiled, but intact. 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. The medal and bar have very light wear to their highlights, and are lightly age soiled throughout. The ribbon is lightly to moderately soiled, and has wear to its white stripe. 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 ribbon and medal 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. 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 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 has a golden patina to it, although its ribbon is only 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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