First Sino- Japanese War (1894-95) Medal Citation?

[Spitace41]

Hi there. I have purchased what I believe to be a decent example of a medal for the First Sino- Japanese War (1894-95). I has come with some sort of certificate that appears to have some age to it, although I am not sure if it is original? It does not look like other Japanese medal citations I have seen, so could it be a certificate of service or similar?

Some of it was translated and I believe it relates to Infantry Sergeant Ichizo Okamoto. Any further information would be much appreciated. Many thanks.

[Nick Komiya]

The citation is for a monetary reward of 40 Yen, awarded to him for his participation in the Sino-Japanese War. See here for details regarding the medal. The citation for the medal was a separate item presented at the same time.

[Spitace41]

Many thanks for that Nick. Were financial rewards commonplace or would he have had to have done something out of the ordinary?

[Nick Komiya]

It was common practice and paid out on a scale based on rank. However from the 1937 China Incident, they switched to giving you bonds rather than cash, which became worthless due to the defeat in WW2.