J008258 CASED ORDER OF THE RISING SUN, 8TH CLASS. 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, with its veins articulated to the obverse, and with a row of four golden kanji characters to the reverse, which translate to "Order of Merit Decoration." The leaves are surmounted by three sets of silver Paulownia flowers on stalks, five to the center and three to each side. 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. The ribbon is very lightly soiled, and the medal has the patina of old silver to the recesses of its obverse, more noticeably along the edges of its reverse. A 7/16" diameter rosette is also included, in red with three red stripes against its depressed, white center, and from whose reverse extends an alloy post which is connected to a blackened alloy "button," 1/2" in diameter. The rosette also exhibits light age soiling. The medal and ribbon are nested into corresponding depressions to the purple velvet interior base of its original presentation case, whose interior lid is lined in padded, purple silk. Both the silk and velvet exhibit the expected, light age and usage wear. The exterior of the 2 3/8" x 3 3/4" x 1", black lacquered wooden case has a column of gold painted kanji characters to its cover, the second down being that for the number "8." A wide alloy hinge is along its rear edge, although there is no, and had never been any, closure device to its forward edge. The exterior of the case exhibits light surface scratching.

To Order this item, please use one of the two e-mail addresses below to contact us. Please make sure to quote the item number in your e-mail

MILITARIA WANTED!  If you have items for sale, please contact us. We specialize in selling single pieces and entire collections. Over 3 decades in the business and we do all the work for you. Get the best return for your investment.

-E-Mail Address pawmac@nbnet.nb.ca  Or  guild@nb.aibn.com

To return to the main page please CLICK below