Japanese civil defense helmet similar to a type 90?
Article about: Hello everyone, I am moving away , so I naturally went one last time to the pawn shop where I got all my japanese militaria. This time they told me they had a type 90, but upon further inspe
Japanese civil defense helmet similar to a type 90?
Hello everyone,
I am moving away , so I naturally went one last time to the pawn shop where I got all my japanese militaria.
This time they told me they had a type 90, but upon further inspection it looked like it was a civil defense helmet, but based upon a type 90 combat helmet (they almost look the same).
It came with a bronce (I could be wrong here) badge which I think it is either police or fire brigade.
t has also something written on the liner, and a "4" or the letter "KA?" (in Katakana), all in a small piece of paper (liner is also weird, it looks like an exact copy of the type 90 liner, but cheaper).
So my question is: What exactly is this? It was pre-bellum, in-bellum or post-bellum? Why does it look like a cheaper version of a combat helmet?
I also compared with some of my type 90's, and they look almost identical.
It's clearly a civil defense helmet and not a Type 90, judging by the chinstrap attachment D rings.
However, it's hard to say more, because you are not actually showing us a helmet, but only disassembled parts that could have come from other helmets. How do you know that the badge, liner and rivets belonged together on that shell? The kanji on the canvass liner ็ทด, means practice, drills and the emblem is for police.
If you own the helmet, weigh the shell. A type 90 shell weighs 1000 grams, so if it weighs that much, it can be a Type 90 shell modified for police use postwar.
Also, civil defense helmets came in all sorts of shapes and materials, and there was no reason for them not to resemble Type 90s.
Shown below is a postwar riot police helmet based on a Type 90. Canvass liners did exist during the war, too, but postwar police Type 90s were all canvass and leather combinations.
Many thanks again for your help! But it seems I didn't make myself clear (I am moving out and I'm tired, and I don't think clearly right now):
I know this is in fact a CIVIL DEFENCE HELMET, NOT a type 90. My question was why this looked like one, not that it was one. I was intrigued becaused it seemed it was either a modifided helmet, or either a chinese copycat. But nevertheless, I blame it on me for not being clear enough.
Regarding your question if this was all together or just random parts I took, this was in fact ALL TOGETHER.
The problem was that when I started looking at it more closer, I found a spider nest in the liner, between the helmet (evidence that it was all together). Since I am alergic to certain spiders, I coudn't take the chance. So I just disassembly the helmet aganist my will to thoroughly clean it, but in the end I prefer to live rathen than leaving the helmet as it was.
When I return home, I will send pictures with the helmet in complete condition.
As I already replied, civil defense helmets could be in any shape that sold well, as they were a commercial product. In that sense, making it look identical to a Type 90 would have given the impression it was somehow better.
However, commercial manufacturers had little occasion to copy the shape of Type 90s early in the war, because helmets were reserved for the battlefield and rarely seen in towns and cities by civilians.
However, from May 1942, when they decided to issue all MPs inside Japan with Type 90s for air raid protection, the standard army helmet became a familiar sight even to civilians. So from that point onwards, commercial makers had a strong incentive to copy the Type 90 appearance.
Japanese civil defense helmet similar to a type 90?
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