Product Details

1937-1941 Historical Relevance: This sakazuki (sake cup) is a Japanese military commemorative item awarded to a soldier returning home from the Second Sino-Japanese War. The top text reads Shina Jihen (支那事変), meaning "China Incident", while the bottom text reads Kirei Kankan (歸還紀念), translating to "Return/Homecoming Commemoration". The interior imagery explicitly captures a wartime propaganda narrative—depicting Japanese bomber planes over a Chinese city wall alongside the Rising Sun flag. Production Period: These specific military sake cups were produced between 1937 and 1941. The terminology "China Incident" was replaced by "Great East Asia War" following the attack on Pearl Harbor in late 1941, strictly capping the manufacture period to these four years.