1000 stitch vest? help

**maximus71** · 03-19-2019, 12:22 PM

Hi All,
What do you think of this one? it appears to be a sennanbari belt sewn to a good luck flag, the back of the vest has the center sun cut out, filled with kanji all over, it appears to be pre WW2 but I am not sure if this style has been seen before, would they cut out the center of a flag to make a vest?? I wonder if it was put together post war with an original belt and flag to bump up the price? anything is possible in this day and age, any expert opinions or thoughts are appreciated. Thank you!

**ghp95134** · 03-19-2019, 03:53 PM

Waiting to hear from Doc Bortner any minute ....

Dr. Bortner. Calling Dr. Bortner. Dr. Bortner, please pick up the white courtesy phone

--Guy

**maximus71** · 03-20-2019, 03:01 AM

Any thoughts on originality?

**Nick Komiya** · 03-20-2019, 10:44 AM

It used to be a straightforward normal 1000 stitch belt and a Yosegaki flag, but at some point both items got cut up and sewn together into this shirt. Components are both original, but how much of the tampering was original to the period is the question. For instance, it is unthinkable for a Japanese in WW2 days to desecrate his own national flag by cutting out the sun regarded as sacred by the Japanese. I would rather guess that the "offending symbol" was cut out by a GI to de-nipponize it or to remove a big blood stain.

I think the belt and flag were combined in this way in the field, but it was worn with the meatball intact until captured. The owner cherished both items and wanted to keep them close to himself.

**maximus71** · 03-20-2019, 12:37 PM

Thank you, those were my thoughts also, now it is clear and makes sense.

**MichaelB** · 03-21-2019, 10:10 PM

Hello Guy! Your telephone call came through and lucky for you I was fortunate to be standing next to an unoccupied white phone. There seem to be some assumptions being made with this vest. It is a period original example and was originally purchased directly from the family in a house clean out in Japan. It is a senninbari as well as a senninriki with additional features. These tend to be rarer combinations in that you "normally" see either the one or the other. To clarify: you do see combinations of both, just not nearly as often. Combinations of senninbari and flags, senninriki and flags and all three are out there, just highly uncommon. These are generally modified in order to be made into the article that the person making it intended. If this is your vest maximus71, it's a nice one and not G.I. altered.

**ghp95134** · 03-21-2019, 10:23 PM

by MichaelB

Hello Guy! Your telephone call came through and lucky for you I was fortunate to be standing next to an unoccupied white phone. ...

(^__^)

Thanks for the expertise. I thought the vest belonged to Maximus 71. How did you learn it was obtained directly from the family in a house clean out? I know that happens. A friend of mine had a grandfather who was a finance rear admiral (was "retired" and taken off the vice admiral list after some factories under his control caught fire). Friend's mother called in a cleaning service after he died and they took everything except his medals and some photos.

The cleaner came back a few days later and said to the mother, "What kind of family is this? We found letters from Isoroku Yamamoto addressed to your father."

Sheesh!

Group photo in London, Jun/Jul 1930, with Prince Takamatsu sitting center. Yamamoto at white arrow; navy captain Arakawa circled in red. Yamamoto had just been promoted to rear admiral in Nov 1929, the conference was Jan. 21–April 22, 1930. Yamamoto & Arakawa were there for the naval conference.

--Guy

**maximus71** · 03-21-2019, 10:29 PM

I do not own it just have the chance to buy it...the center being cut out is perplexing to me. But I guess we will never know the real reason.

**Nick Komiya** · 03-22-2019, 11:39 AM

If it appeared on sale in Japan, it was mutilated by the seller in Japan, as Yahoo Auctions are getting sensitive about sale of certain items that may be offensive to certain groups like Yosegaki flags and Nazi items, which they sometimes unilaterally cancel without full transparency. The seller likely did not want to run that risk, just because of the meatball. Typical house cleanout reaction when the seller does not know the damage to the value the action is causing (like German uniforms appearing on Ebay with eagles freshly removed from a house cleanout find).
Anyway, the untreated cutout is fresh and there is no chance it was like that during the war.