Very Rare Antique Japanese Military Imperial Guards Named NCOs Lacquer Sake Cup Set with Original Box
This is a very rare antique Japanese military sake cup set, each decorated with a wreath and a badge of the Order of Rising Sun. The words in the middle are "Gift to Mr. Oka" and on the back are the words "Imperial Guards 4th Infantry Regiment NCO Members". Both cups have the same wording and same decoration. The neat thing about this is the box is not only original, it is personalized. The lid of the box, which is also made of lacquered wood, has also the words "Gift to Mr. Oka - One set of Cups". Under the lid is a list of the names of all those NCOs who probably all chipped in to pay for the cups you see here. Lacquered cups, back in the day, were far more expensive than porcelain cups, and a nice set with personalized decorations were not cheap at all. This was probably to commemorate Oka getting decorated with an Order of Rising Sun. The original set was probably three cups, now with one missing. It's extremely rare to see so many names attached to an item - there are 30 of them. It's a really special piece.
The box also has some original looking cotton padding the box.
Condition: The cups are in mint condition. The box's lid is cracked in the middle. The base box is in decent shape.
Size: 3.25" across and 4.25" across. The box is 5.75"x5.75"x3.5"