Cool item. Thanks for sharing it with us
That is a very nice find . It is dated Showa 18 or 1943 .
REGARDS AL
We are the Pilgrims , master, we shall go
Always a little further : it may be
Beyond that last blue mountain barred with snow
Across that angry or that glimmering sea...
Rarely seen and offered helmet in superb condition! Very nice find!
William
"Much that once was, is lost. For none now live who remember it."
Great helmet much harder to find than the steel helmet
Great condition. Nice to see. I've never been quite sure if these should be referred to as helmets or hats. The traditional pith helmet is of course a solid structure whereas these seem to be held in shape due to the nature of their stitching design. I'd like to learn more. Can you tell me if there is any sort of support sewn into the cloth. Perhaps fine bamboo strips?
Regards,
Stu
It does feel like there is some ribbing inside the cloth... very well could be bamboo strips.
Neat item! It looks like it is identified, which is a rarity with these pith helmets, at least in my experience. I can't make out all the kanji, but it looks like the soldier who was issued the helmet may have been a member of an engineer unit. My grandfather brought one back from Iwo Jima that was named to a soldier originally garrisoned on Chichi Jima. It was ultimately returned to the deceased soldier's brother in Japan.
Tom
It's called a 防暑帽 in Japanese, or anti-heat cap. It is made with bamboo on the inside with cloth outside (as of 1945 anyway, thats what it said in the production manual).
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