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Japanese Sake Cup


SARGE
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Gents,

I thought I would start a thread about Sake  cups.  There were many varieties of Japanese lacquer and porcelain military and home front sake cups that are quite collectible.  There are also attendant bottles and accouterments that were made during the war.  I am sure many reside in your collections.

I will start the thread off with a red lacquer sake cup with a Japanese Police badge in it.  Notice the red lacquer bowl sits on a short footing and the highlights of the badge and edges are coated in gold leaf.

Please show your sake cups.

 

Saki cup top.JPG

Saki cup side.JPG

Saki cup bottom.JPG

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triplecanopy

I am glad that you started this subject as I have four Sake cups that I have wondered about for years now. These were all found in a cave/tunnel on Okinawa. Also found was a rice bowl (not pictured)

I have had these cups since 1989. Someone told me that they might be ceremonial for those Japanese flyers about to take off for the last time. Nearby Yomitan Airstrip was a Japanese base.  Any thoughts?

IMG_0970.jpeg

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vintageproductions

The top left is Cavalry, the top right is an army infantry unit.

I am sure someone else can give you exact translations, but none are Kamikazee.

If I can find mine, I will post it.

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  • 1 year later...
Fortunes Of War

Very nice collection of cups!  I have a few, but Rich's collection puts mine to shame!

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Fortunes Of War

Rich-

     That sounds like a great opportunity.  Do you have a primary focus: navy cups, cups with flags, army units, etc?  For a while, I only collected cups with flags on them.  The flags had to have writing on them a la, good luck flag style however.  There seemed to be so few of those, that I branched out into navy/ship painted cups.

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Fortunes Of War

Yeah, you are right.  A few years ago the price was going crazy on cups, bottles and trays.  There has been a dip in recent years, making them a great collector opportunity.  

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Fortunes Of War

It looks like the sake bottle has raised paint on it (the white flower).  Does this have a top to it?

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Fortunes Of War

Here is a navy related cup in my collection. It has a white cherry blossom in the center.  The outer ring is painted a green color.  In the center is a gold leaf navy anchor, crossed with a Japanese battle flag on its staff.

IMG_0155 (2).JPG

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Fortunes Of War

Rich-

     Thanks for posting; I like the trays too!  What kind of condition are the bottoms of the trays?  I normally find them pretty badly scratched or cracked.  Do you have Dan King's book on sake cups?  

 

Mike

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Jack the Collector
21 hours ago, Fortunes Of War said:

Dan King's book on sake cups?

I am guessing since you have mentioned it,this is the book to have? Does it cover fakes?

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Fortunes Of War

Jack-

     Here is the "book blurb" on Dan's sake cup book taken off Amazon Books:  It's been out since 2003 and seems to be priced anywhere from $40-$60.  There were so many cups and minimal interest in them by collectors at the time, that there was virtually no worry about fakes.  After the book's release (actually before that), collectors began to go crazy for them and prices increased, only to later crash.  There has been a bit of a recovery (primarily in certain areas like navy cups with ships) since then, but still not the kind of demand seen in the earlier days.

 

"His new book is the first in English on this fascinating and increasingly popular military collectible. The main purpose of this book is to provide the reader with accurate information to aid in translating, determining the origin, value and history of the Japanese military Sake cups. Sake cups were commissioned by naval troops, pilots, tank crews, supply crews, infantrymen, cavalrymen, telegraph and railroad engineers with an innumerable variation of colors and designs. Each cup is a mini time capsule with the owners name and regiment inscribed, enabling the collector to search for the background and history of the soldier who once drank a victory toast, or a farewell toast with these very cups. It is hoped the book will foster a greater understanding and appreciation for this little known field of Japanese militaria/art collecting."

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Fortunes Of War

My collection of cups is pretty small.  I collect primarily cups with flags and I prefer writing on the flags (good luck flags).  I also collect navy related cups, although I have sold a number of those over the years.  I like the styles with raised designs in the center of the cup.  A few of navy ones are cracked but I like the design, so have kept them.

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vintageproductions

There were two other books printed in Japan that came out right before Dan's book.

 

This one was the better of the two:

 

 

sakebook.jpg

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Jack the Collector

Thanks guys!The more I look at saki cup post here,the more I want to start collecting them.They have vibe about them that make them desirable....I am almost certain my wife will divorce me if I start yet another collection!:o

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