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Order of the Rising Sun,
6th class
(miniature)
勳六等旭日章
(迷你版)
Item number: M149
Year: AD 1875-2024 (present)
Material: Silver and Enamel
Size: 11.8 x 53.4 x 3.1 mm
Weight: 1.55 g
Provenance: Denarius 2024
This miniature belongs to the sixth class of the Order of the Rising Sun and is issued to individuals with an emphasis on their achievements in service to Japan.
The order features rays of sunlight from the rising sun, symbolising energy as powerful as the rising sun in parallel with the “rising sun” concept of Japan (Land of the Rising Sun). A mark is displayed on the suspension ring.
It is an eight-pointed order bearing a central red enamelled sun disc with silver points, each comprising three white enamelled rays. The order is suspended from three enamelled paulownia leaves, the coat of arms of the Japanese government and the secondary coat of arms of the imperial family, on a white ribbon with red border stripes, worn on the left chest.
The Order of the Rising Sun, established on April 10, AD 1875 (Meiji 8), served as Japan’s initial medal, with eight grades ranging from the first class to the eighth class. The following year, in AD 1876 (Meiji 9), a higher rank, the Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum, was introduced above the Order of the Rising Sun, and in AD 1888 (Meiji 21), an additional higher rank, the Collar of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum, was established. In the AD 2003 (Heisei 15) reformation of the honours system, the Order of the Rising Sun was streamlined to six grades, with the abolition of the seventh and eighth classes. Additionally, since its establishment, the conferment of the Order of the Rising Sun was originally limited to males; however, with this reform, it became a medal awarded without gender distinction.
In September of the fourth year of the Meiji era(AD 1871), the new government after the Meiji Restoration, as part of its comprehensive reform initiatives, instructed the legislative body responsible for various institutional recommendations at the time, known as the “左院 (Council of the Left)” to deliberate on the system of decorations. Subsequently, in the sixth year of the Meiji era(AD 1873), based on the Council of the Left’s recommendations, five individuals, including the second-class councillor Junjiro Hosokawa, were appointed as “メダイユ取調御用掛 (Medal Investigation Committee)” to investigate orders. The Medal Investigation Committee, led by the third-class councillor Daigyoken Tsunetaka (later the head of the Medal Bureau), who had also been involved in studying order systems during the time of the former shogunate’s army administration, conducted research on order systems in Western European countries to establish a order system in Japan. In April of the eighth year of Meiji(AD 1875), they announced the “Matter of Establishing Decorations and Commemorative Medals” (Imperial Edict No. 54). This laid the foundation for the current Order of the Rising Sun and marked the inception of the Japanese medal system. Subsequently, in the ninth year of Meiji(AD 1876), the Order of Chrysanthemum was established, followed by the Order of the Sacred Treasure and the Order of the Precious Crown in the twenty-first year of Meiji(AD 1888), and the Order of Culture in the twelfth year of Showa(AD 1937).
The awarding of orders to survivors was temporarily suspended after world war 2. However, starting in the spring of the thirty-ninth year of Showa(AD 1964), it resumed as the 春秋叙勲 (Spring and Autumn Order) were reintroduced. Japan’s system of honours, as a significant mechanism for recognising contributions to the country or public service, and outstanding behaviour in various fields of society, has been deeply rooted and confronted the changing socio-economic conditions of the twenty-first century. To address this, the government re-evaluated the system of honours, transitioning from the awarding of decorations and commendations in the autumn of the fifteenth year of Heisei(AD 2003) to the current system.