This is a very rare Japanese military sake cup, decorated with a star and flags. The words on the outside are "Shandong Incident Commemoration" and the soldier's name Goto. This refers to the 1928 incident that took place in Jinan when KMT soldiers attacked Jinan as part of the Northern Expedition by Chiang Kai-shek to recover control of China. The Japanese had sent a force to Shandong province in anticipation of the KMT attack, ostensibly to protect Japanese interest in the area as it was under Japanese control at the time. Long story short, the advancing KMT soldiers and the Japanese who were stationed in the area clashed, and a brief period of hostilities erupted with thousands of Chinese killed in the process. Only a few thousand troops were sent in these expeditions so cups related to this series of events is pretty rare. You can read about it in Wikipedia here.

Condition: Mint

Size: 3" across