Japanese helmet liner marking

[Neil Hever]

I purchased this helmet in 1977. I think the black camo splotches are post war applied but all else looks original. The liner is stamped with the number 14 - what does that mean? Can anyone read the Kanji inscription? NH

[Neil Hever]

Answered my own question. The modern Showa era began in 1926 and it marked the beginning of Hirohito's reign as Emperor. Each year was numbered to match the reign - 1926=1. This means the liner was produced in year 14 or 1939. NH

[Walkwolf]

Hi Neil.

Do you think the splotches of black paint were daubed between helmet
net strands originally ? There seems to be a honeycomb
pattern to them.........

[Neil Hever]

The net is a post war repro. I don't think there is any particular pattern to the black splotches. I'm thinking it was a post war dress up of the helmet. I seem to remember there were some comic books in the 1960s that showed Japanese helmets with camo paint for some reason. I'm thinking the artists who penned them assumed Japanese helmets had some kind of camo like Marine helmet covers. Some kid with a paint brush must have "jazzed" this one up. It was like this when I got in 1977. I do believe the brown and khaki green are original. Touch up was done to helmets using this kind of khaki green if I'm not mistaken. I don't think it was done deliberately as camo although I could be wrong. NH