Japanese Helmet Find - Battlefield Pickup?

[MikeS0000]

Have always wanted to add one of these to the collection, but they are pretty pricey. This one is not in the best of shape, but it appears to be a 'pick-up' and was very affordable. Maybe 10-15% of paint on the outside, and on the inside you can see the watermarks where it lay upside down for a period of time.



Any thoughts appreciated!

Best regards, Mike

[NunoGTI]

Too bad for the missing liner, but thats still a good find.
Congrats.
Cheers.
Nuno

[SteveR]

Japanese helmets are harder to find.
Nice one.

[Walkwolf]

Agreed - Nice helmet. It is an Army combat type lid
as opposed to fire or civil defence.........

[GIZMO8Z]

Nice! Where did you find it?

I'm assuming someone brought it home as a war souvenir... the liners were made of pig skin, and were very fragile to begin with... I'm sure exposure to the Pacific salt air, and then years in an attic, basement, or garage didn't help preserve the liner...

Any trace of a kanji symbol for size painted in white on the rear of the helmet? Also, look for a very faint maker stamp, or even a name scratched into the helmet somewhere, too!

[MikeS0000]

Thanks Guy! Yes, I figure it was a bringback, especially as I found it in a local antique shop in a case that did not have any other military items. From the looks of it and the way it appears it was upside down and had water in it for a while I'll bet the liner was trashed.

There are some remnants of white paint on the interior rear and side, but can't tell what they were. Will check for maker or owner markings. My father was at Iwo Jima and Okinawa so this was a nice find. He brought a couple patches back but said when the got into San Francisco they were so glad to get home they threw pretty much everything into the bay and wanted to forget it.

- Mike

[GIZMO8Z]

There are some remnants of white paint on the interior rear and side, but can't tell what they were. Will check for maker or owner markings.- Mike

I'd love to see some pics if you can post them!