Strange helmet translation?
Hi everyone!
At my local militaria fair I came across this helmet. I almost missed it, untill a friend pointed this one out. I found it interesting for the low price so I picked it up, even though Japanese headgear ain't my main interest.
Does anyone have some insight in the writing on the helmet, and if the helmet is indeed a Japanese model? The writing is probably added post-war I guess? Even there are some scratches and patina(?) on the writing.
Cheers,
David
It is certainly no Japanese military helmet. It could be a Japanese civilian air-raid helmet, but the hardware bracket remaining inside does not look Japanese, so doubt remains that it is not Japanese at all. The writing is "faked" Japanese writing done by some Westerner. The top part is laughably trying to look like a signet stamp with the family name of Nakamura and the character split in the middle by the star is read "Wa" meaning peace, but it is clear that the writing was added for the sole purpose of misleading you into thinking it was Japanese. Sorry, but it is just junk, not even worth $10.
Thank you Nick! Ofcourse I had my doubtsLuckily I didnt pay much for it, else I wouldnt even have bought it.
Instead of splitting the word 和 in the middle, which was a really stupid mistake, the faker should have written利口, by adding two vertical parallel lines, which means intelligent. That way, at least, Nakamura, the wearer would have been flattering himself as a genius, instead of confessing to be an illiterate oaf.
It's a Thai modified Type 90 shell, that had a French-style liner installed. So it is at least originally Japanese made, but heavily post-war modified.
At first sight, I did not see any of the 4 vent holes nor the characteristic top ridge of a Type 90, but now I can at least see faint hints of the vent holes in the enlargement, so I can concede it may have originally been Japanese after all. However, that still really has no bearing on residual value any more.
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