Description
This is an original Imperial Japanese Army lacquer sake cup made around 1937–1938, during the early period of the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Inside the cup are the inscriptions:
“China Incident”
“Commemoration of Departure for the Front”
together with an Imperial Japanese Army steel helmet.
Around the interior is written:
“North China Expeditionary Army – Kato Gon Unit”
The underside is also dated:
“Showa 12–13”, corresponding to 1937–1938.
Even more importantly, the original box survives and is marked:
“China Incident – Kato Gon Unit – Commemoration of Departure for the Front”
and
“Made for Hankyu Department Store.”
As the war in China expanded from 1937, large numbers of Japanese Army units were deployed to northern China. The inscription “North China Expeditionary Army” directly connects this cup with that historical period.
For Japanese soldiers, a sake cup was much more than ordinary tableware. Cups like this were often created to mark important moments in military life—enlistment, departure for the front, return from service, or discharge—and were kept as personal souvenirs.
This example is also particularly attractive because it is finished in traditional Japanese lacquerware. Japanese lacquer has been valued for centuries for its deep surface, durability, and distinctive luster. Here, traditional Japanese craftsmanship was used to preserve the memory of a soldier’s departure for war.
With its campaign inscription, named military unit, dated period, surviving original box, and Hankyu Department Store attribution, this is a particularly well-documented example of Japanese military commemorative lacquerware.
A small object, but one that preserves the story of a soldier, a military campaign, and a Japanese craft tradition from the late 1930s.
Own a Piece of History.
Inside the cup are the inscriptions:
“China Incident”
“Commemoration of Departure for the Front”
together with an Imperial Japanese Army steel helmet.
Around the interior is written:
“North China Expeditionary Army – Kato Gon Unit”
The underside is also dated:
“Showa 12–13”, corresponding to 1937–1938.
Even more importantly, the original box survives and is marked:
“China Incident – Kato Gon Unit – Commemoration of Departure for the Front”
and
“Made for Hankyu Department Store.”
As the war in China expanded from 1937, large numbers of Japanese Army units were deployed to northern China. The inscription “North China Expeditionary Army” directly connects this cup with that historical period.
For Japanese soldiers, a sake cup was much more than ordinary tableware. Cups like this were often created to mark important moments in military life—enlistment, departure for the front, return from service, or discharge—and were kept as personal souvenirs.
This example is also particularly attractive because it is finished in traditional Japanese lacquerware. Japanese lacquer has been valued for centuries for its deep surface, durability, and distinctive luster. Here, traditional Japanese craftsmanship was used to preserve the memory of a soldier’s departure for war.
With its campaign inscription, named military unit, dated period, surviving original box, and Hankyu Department Store attribution, this is a particularly well-documented example of Japanese military commemorative lacquerware.
A small object, but one that preserves the story of a soldier, a military campaign, and a Japanese craft tradition from the late 1930s.
Own a Piece of History.