Original field cap? ... one for the experts please.

[MAP]

Nick,

I for one am very thankful to have you onboard. Great to have your insight and knowledge. Will help me and others really advance our knowledge and understanding.

Thanks again!

Michael

[Danmark]

Agree - thank you Nick for your time and effort.

Why would a civilian cap look so like a military one ?( from afar )
That puzzles me?

I never thought there was a market for Japanese collar tabs in the 1980's either.

[douglas2496]

Japanese society was heavily militarised and there was a deliberate attempt by the government to make civillian workers identify with the soldiers and vice versa.

[Nick Komiya]

That field cap design is a basic timeless cap design for Japan and most factory worker caps were like that well into the 1980s. Much like the M43 style cap in Germany, which is popular with farmers, or the baseball cap in America. Of course wearing a star like that was prohibited and one would have gotten arrested by Kempei, if you wore that.
The long rolls of woven collar tabs were sold as rolls in the 80s, but later they got cut up and converted into collar tabs. Unlike German uniforms, tabs were to be removed when washing the uniform, so uniforms are seldom found with insignia and demand for tabs increased to a point that meant more money to cut them up.
Use of the olive drab so-called "national defense color" was indeed promoted even for the civilian uniform, but the army did not like civilian wear to look like army uniforms, as they were quite touchy about civilians playing soldier.

[Danmark]

Thanks to all!
I will relegate the tabs and star to the "box of shame" and now be able to sell the cap knowing what it is ( and not what the seller thought it was )

I paid $90..... would I recoup that?

[timothy]

Hello Dan no expert on Japanese have had a lot through the years but like you am a German guy Look on Stewarts Military Antiques in Arizona USA he has one almost identical he calls a civil factory guard cap I think under two hundred USD if any help. timothy

[ghp95134]

That field cap design is a basic timeless cap design for Japan and most factory worker caps were like that well into the 1980s. ...

That style cap is still worn. While I was in Japan (about two weeks ago) I saw a policeman wearing the same style cap. I found photos on Google Image that show what I'm talking about.

Fire Department:



Police:





--Guy

[wizardman]

The Caps are very common....workers, Police, Gardeners...Its a fascinating country.Im lucky to get there quite a bit, in fact ill be there in a few weeks hoping to get some nice field gear Reenacting has really started to take off there as well

[RussM]

Excellent info Nick, thanks for posting it!

Regards

Russ