Item number: M120

Year: AD 1942-1946

Material: Bronze

Size: 29.1 x 77.9 x 1.9 mm

Weight: 17.5 g

Provenance: EBL’s Antiques Collectables 2022

On July 27, AD 1939, the Japanese government announced the awarding of the “China Incident War Medal” to recognize the military personnel who had been engaged in the China front since the full-scale Sino-Japanese War in AD 1937. Then, on September 25, AD 1942, in the 17th year of the Showa era, the government issued the “China Incident Commemorative Medal Production Order” aimed at rewarding non-military personnel who made contributions in the rear areas to support the frontline battlefields.

This circular bronze medal was designed by Masami Katō. On the obverse side, at the top, there is a chrysanthemum crest surrounded by numerous cherry blossoms. The chrysanthemum crest symbolizes the highly deified Emperor of Japan before the war, while the cherry blossoms represent the sincere hearts of one hundred million Japanese civilians. On the reverse, vertically written in Japanese kanji, is the inscription “China Incident Commemorative Medal.”

The medal is connected to ribbon through a fixed ring suspension with claw, and the ribbon is approximately 3.6 cm wide. The color scheme of the ribbon follows that of the “China Incident War Medal,” and on both sides, it is symmetrically arranged with the colors “purplish blue, blue-gray, red-yellow, and red” in that order from the outer to inner side. Each color has its symbolism: purplish blue represents the navy, blue-gray represents the army aviation corps, red-yellow represents the army, and red symbolizes the blood-soaked land of China. The deep red in the center of the red symbolizes the loyalty and devotion of the military personnel.

Compared to the “China Incident War Medal” awarded to military personnel, the “China Incident Commemorative Medal” awarded to non-military personnel is extremely rare and uncommon.

In AD 1937, the Japanese military launched the Marco Polo Bridge Incident on July 7th under the excuse of searching for missing soldier, thus becoming embroiled in the war. Following the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in AD 1941, the war expanded from China to the entire Pacific region. Japan established various civilian organizations at home and in its colonies to support the military needs on the front lines, until the unconditional surrender was announced on August 15, AD 1945. On March 29, AD 1946, under the supervision of the Allied Supreme Commander in Japan, Directive No. 177 was issued by the Japanese government, officially abolishing the aforementioned medals, marking the end of their history.

物件編號: M120

年代: 公元 1942-1946 年

材料: 青銅

尺寸: 29.1 x 77.9 x 1.9 mm

重量: 17.5 g

來源: 愛比爾骨董軍品郵票典藏 2022

昭和14年(公元1939年)7月27日，日本政府布告頒予「支那事變從軍記章」，以資勵公元1937年中日全面戰爭以來，投入中國戰場的軍事人員。昭和17年(公元1942年)9月25日，政府再度下達〈支那事變紀念章製作命令〉，旨在獎勵在後方為前線戰場付出貢獻的非軍事人員。

此圓形銅質獎章由加藤正巳負責設計圖案。獎章正面的上方，是一個被眾多櫻花簇擁的菊紋章。菊紋代表日本戰前被高度神格化的天皇，櫻花則代表一億日本平民的赤誠之心。背面以豎寫日本漢字刻上「支那事變紀念章」字樣。

獎章以帶爪固定環形懸掛銜接寬約3.6公分的綬帶，綬帶沿襲「支那事變從軍記章」配色，左右兩側以「濃桔梗色、納戶色、香色、紅色」外而內的順序對稱。上述顏色有各自的含義：濃桔梗色代表海軍、納戶色代表陸軍航空隊、香色代表陸軍、紅色象徵浸血的中國大地，紅色中央的一道深紅色則代表軍人的忠誠之心。相較於授予軍事人員的「支那事變從軍記章」，頒予非軍事人員的「支那事變紀念章」極為稀少罕見。

公元1937年，日軍以尋找失蹤士兵為由爆發七七盧溝橋事變，日本就此捲入戰爭的狂潮。隨著公元1941年偷襲美國珍珠港，戰爭從中國擴展到整個太平洋。日本則在國內和殖民地成立各色民間團體，以支援前線的軍事需求，直到公元1945年8月15日宣布無條件投降為止。1946年3月29日，在駐日盟軍總司令的監督統治下，日本政府頒布敕令177號廢止上述兩種獎章，宣告其走入歷史。