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The Chrysanthemum and the Helmet

Article about: The Chrysanthemum and the Helmet The Chrysanthemum and the Sword Coming from someone who had never even visited Japan, the 1946 book, “The Chrysanthemum and the Sword”, a study about the Jap

  1. #11
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    Quote by nick komiya View Post
    If telling you that you are entitled to your opinions already makes me a jerk, I hope you don't get a stroke when I remind you that the CBs made the vast majority of the fake Yosegaki flags on the market today. That is not my opinion, but a fact that the majority of the collectors in this field know.
    And I'm sure you know that there is even a collectors market for these.
    "Please", Thank You" and proper manners appreciated

    My greatest fear is that one day I will die and my wife will sell my guns for what I told her I paid for them

    "Don't tell me these are investments if you never intend to sell anything" (Quote: Wife)

  2. #12

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    Yes, though most US collectors respond very disappointed when they are told that they have a fake Tojo flag, I have always thought it represented a charming tongue in cheek American humor worth collecting for the fake it was.

  3. #13
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    Quote by nick komiya View Post
    Yes, though most US collectors respond very disappointed when they are told that they have a fake Tojo flag, I have always thought it represented a charming tongue in cheek American humor worth collecting for the fake it was.
    if I came across one at a decent price I wouldn't mind adding it to my collection. All part of the story......

    We've seen a number of these come through the forum here and I'm sure on others as well. And agree, a bit of a let down if your not aware. But finding this in Grandpa's closet is still neat.
    "Please", Thank You" and proper manners appreciated

    My greatest fear is that one day I will die and my wife will sell my guns for what I told her I paid for them

    "Don't tell me these are investments if you never intend to sell anything" (Quote: Wife)

  4. #14

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    Thanks Nick for a very interesting article.

  5. #15

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    Unfortunately it is known that the CBs also dealt in helmets, so assuming vet sourced items to be in original condition is quite naive. If a helmet came with rust, they would have needed to be reconditioned (who cared what color) to look like fresh war booty and after all, they ran a paint shop with spray guns and all. Black night raid helmets would have made a nice conversation piece along with a flag with Tojo's signature. On one hand you had the Japanese soldier with nothing to gain, but penalties from tinkering with helmet colors and on the other hand you had the souvenir shop run by the crafty CBs, who knew how to pimp up merchandise with celebrity signatures and fake shrine stamps, the whole works. If you buy those items, just be aware that the odds are stacked heavily against them.
    Last edited by Nick Komiya; 11-24-2015 at 09:00 PM.

  6. #16
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    Thanks for the time taken to post this article, very interesting insight.

    Great picture of the fake production, I intentionally won a CBs flag in an auction last year that was advertised as an authentic original, it would be interesting to know how long the 'business' went on for, as there must have been a lot of troops that were posted there after the war.

    Steve.

  7. #17

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    Steve,

    Nick has a lot of research and collecting experience with regard to Japanese militaria; he also is a published author about Japanese military equipment. We, on this forum, learn from him the intricacies of Japanese culture (including military) unavailable to the average "Joe" -- and he can teach to us that which most non-native Japanese will miss. I say this as someone who has studied Japanese, lived in Japan five years, and go to Japan every year.

    As an analogue:
    If I had a beaded Lakota vest and showed it on a Native American crafts forum -- an Indian craftsman might warn me of the dangers of buying something that looks to be Hong Kong "Indian" work. I could argue with him and say the style is Lakota; however, he might point out that the bead colors used on my vest were not available in the 1880s and the design is actually Kiowa. At that point should I call him a jerk and ask how many ca. 1880 Plains beadwork/quill work, bows/arrows, parfleches, etc. he has handled?

    Should I get upset with that expert -- even if I bought that beaded vest from someone who once sold souvenirs on the outskirts of a reservation?

    --Guy
    Last edited by ghp95134; 11-25-2015 at 04:50 AM. Reason: Deleted

  8. #18

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    In the article above I talked about how they all dress in an identical manner as other candidates at interviews. The very beginning of this new drama series illustrates what I mean. Of interest is the huge contrast between what they actually wear at work and what they wear for the interview. For those who are Manga fans, this is also a great behind-the-scene series about the comic publishing business that I can highly recommend.
    Sleepeeer Hit! (Juhan Shuttai) Episode 1 - Drama cool

  9. #19

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    Reading about the seabee paint shops and changing the colors of the helmets leads me to wonder what color the helmet was meant to be originally?

    I mean, I know it's a khaki brown sorta kinda, but was there official name of the color? Could it be extrapolated to a Pantone or RGB color?

    (Kinda sorta related: I found color chips in the back pages of a Kaigun fukusei book from 1932 but the page was scanned in black and white, so all that came across were various shades of gray and black. Drat!)

  10. #20

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    They used generic names not possible to relate to any color system. They called the helmet color "dead grass color" (枯草色).

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