Named WWII Japanese Army Major’s Type 98 Tunic With Photos

Direct vet family purchased, type 98 tunic with a set of major collar tabs originally sewn to it. It is named to Shoju Ishi (石井松壽), who was a major and commander of an engineer unit operating in Manchuria or northern China. Two copy of the digital images of the original photos of the officer comes with the uniform. (The originals of these photos are not available, as they are on an old private album the veteran family still keeps.) One picture shows the officer riding on a horse and a bridge his unit built in 1940. The parapet pictured in the photos show an inscription saying “Bridge Built by the Ishi Company under the command of the Iwasa Unit” (岩佐部隊石井隊架橋). The official names of both “Iwasa” and “Ishii” units have not been identified. There were so many units active in Japanese – occupied Manturia, so in-depth research is needed.

Both pictures shows the officer at the time when he was in the rank of Captain. In the pictures, he was in a wool Showa Type 5 tunic with Captain’s collar tabs sewn on its standing collar. His career was unknown but was a 9th graduate of Japanese Army Military Academy and the following medals and decorations were known to be awarded to him: Order of the Rising Sun, Order of the Sacred Treasures, 5th Manchurian Order of the Auspicious Clouds, Showa Grand
Enthronement Commemorative Medal, Manchukuo National Foundation Merit Medal, Manchurian Incident War Medal, Manchurian Enthronement Medal and Red Cross Membership Medal. The ribon bar comes with his tunic includes only part of his decoration. His private album ends with the photos of him in the hospital, so he must have survived the war.

The tunic is a typical Type 98 made of light-weight summer wool. It is well-worn but worn-damage is concentrated on the upper edge of the collar. The inside the collar, moth damage is very minimum – a small (about 1cm) moth hole under the left collar and a few 2-3mm moth bites, all of which are really inconspicuous. Overall, the tunic is in very nice still well used condition. The original wartime collar liner is still attached to it. On the silk lining, there are a machine-sewn maker tag saying: “Manufacturer for Kwantung Army Camp Shop, Fuji Koshi, Co., Ltd” (関東軍酒保指定工場　不二公司), as well as a machine embroidered original owner’s sir name “Ishii” (石井). The tunic came with the ribbon bar showing the ribbons of Order of the Sacred Treasures, Showa Grand Enthronement Commemorative Medal, Manchurian Incident War Medal (from upper left to right), China Incident War Medal, 2600th National Anniversary of Imperial Rule Commemorative Medal, and scarce Manchukuo National Foundation Merit Medal.

An untouched identified Major’s Tunic with original Major’s collar tabs is super rare!!