Japanese Order of the GOLDEN KITE 7th Class

[Kiwi63]

Hi

I do not own this item but thought I would post the info on it here as I found it so interesting ...

Cheers


-----The Order of the Golden Kite was an order of the Empire of Japan, established in 1890 by Emperor Meiji

It was officially abolished by the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers of Occupied Japan in 1947 after WW2

The Order of the Golden Kite was an exclusively military award, conferred for bravery, leadership or command in battle

It ranked just below the Order of the Chrysanthemum in precedence & was the military equivalent of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers

The order consisted of seven classes

Enlisted rank soldiers were eligible for the 7th - 5th classes, non-commissioned officers were eligible for the 6th - 4th classes, junior officers for the 5th - 3rd classes, field grade officers for the 4th-2nd classes & general officers the 3rd-1st classes
A total of 1,067,492 Order of the Golden Kite awards were made over the history of the order, most of them in the two lower 6th and 7th classes. Only 41 of the 1st class & 201 of the 2nd class were awarded

The award came with an annual monetary stipend, fixed in 1916. This was awarded for the lifetime of the recipient, & following his death, it would be awarded to the recipient's family for 1 year after. If the recipient died within 5 years of receiving the honor, the stipend would be awarded to the family until the end of the 5 year period. In 1939, the stipends stood as follows:

1st Class-1500 yen
2nd Class-1000 yen
3rd Class-700 yen
4th Class-500 yen
5th Class-350 yen
6th Class-250 yen
7th Class-150 yen

Since the monthly pay for a private in the Imperial Japanese Army at the time was 8 Yen, 80 sen, this amounted to a very substantial reward

The monetary stipend was abolished in 1940

In mid-October 1942, posthumous awards were announced following ceremonies at the Yasukuni Shrine.

Posthumous honorees included 995 who were lost in combat in the Pacific & 3,031 in China

MUCH information HERE....

Gentleman's Military Interest Club
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[Walkwolf]

Nice looking medals. I believe this one is pre-WWII,
possibly 1920's, as most of these I've seen
with faded ribbons were.........

[Kiwi63]

Thanks Steve,

This particular one has a Black embossed case , purple cushion inside, fascinating people the Japanese are'nt they?

[Walkwolf]

Indeed. Their medals are so beautiful. I've been thinking of
picking up one of these Golden Kite medals lately.........!

[Kiwi63]

Indeed. Their medals are so beautiful. I've been thinking of
picking up one of these Golden Kite medals lately.........!

This Medal has a buy now tag of NZD -$205 , Ive brought half a dozen items over the years from the bloke who has this, Hope Im not breaking any forum rules here, but can supply you with his details no prob, he is based in Auckland, there will be Aussie members here who would know of him also I would think

Cheers mate

[Walkwolf]

Thanks, but that is about $100 more than
I'm willing to spend, Lol.........!

[Kiwi63]

Thanks, but that is about $100 more than
I'm willing to spend, Lol.........!

Sure .. Im supposed to be getting rid of my own baubels,( few bits and pieces) ... trouble is I get on there to do it and get distracted by all the neat stuff.. aah well

[Kevin Grootaers]

I would love to own one of these one day.