This is a rare and very stunning Japanese military sake cup, decorated with the eight flags of the Eight Nations Alliance active for the relief of the Foreign Legation in Beijing during the Boxer Rebellion. The eight nations were: UK, France, Russia, Italy, US, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Japan. The cup is decorated with these eight flags with a mirror in the center, a symbol for the emperor, a cherry blossom, and a star. The cup is done in rare colors - it's quite unusual to see so many different colors on a lacquer cup of any kind. The words on the back are "North Qing Garrison Commemoration" and the soldier's full name, Nakatomi Tatsunosuke.

This is one of the most visually stunning military themed lacquer cups I've seen, a true beauty.

Condition: Excellent - the white parts were probably silver based, so there's a bit of tarnishing on parts of it

Size: 4" across