Rare 1898 Antique Japanese Osaka Area Army Youth Cadet School Establishment Sake Cup
This is an antique Japanese military sake cup, decorated with a star on the front. The words on the back of the cup are "Osaka Army Regional Youth Academy Opening Commemoration". This school was set up in 1896 as part of a nationwide reform of army officer training, with the Tokyo school being the central school and regional schools established in Nagoya, Osaka, Sendai, Kumamoto, and Hiroshima. This formalized previous arrangements that were more ad-hoc. These schools were basically high schools - kids who were between the age of 13 and 16 enrolled, and after graduation they would become officer cadets. Kids of current officers only pay half tuition, while orphans of deceased officers who died in battle got in for free. These academies were important places for training of young cadets as the army believed they were more trustworthy having been trained at a young age. The future General Tojo, for example, was a student at the Tokyo Army Youth Academy before going to officer school.
Condition: Mint
Size: 3.5" across