Another WW2 Japanese Qualification Watch Fob for Translation

[ErwinRommel1940]

Hello all,

I’d very much if someone could tell me what the writing on this qualification badge says and the date if there is one. Many thanks for the help in advance!

[GHP]

Obverse:
賞
Prize

========
Reverse:

京華商業高等学校
第十九回実科
競技大会
2590

Keika Commercial High School
19th practical course
Sports Competition
2590 [1930]


The school is still extant, and they just had their 102nd annual sports competition in 2016.


In those days a high school was the equivalent of college.

[beretta1934]

Guy, doesn't the object on the front look like an abacus? It only has one disc in the outer row and 5 instead of 4 on the wider section but it's just an odd thing for a trophy. Could this be a competition other than sports? Just looks totally out of sink

Okay here is an exact match

[qed4]

This is some what off the subject but something I have wondered about. You see these things referred to as "watch fabs" quite often but is that really what they are? I could be wrong but it does not seem right that a Japanese man in the pre-war years would be carrying a pocket watch with a leather strap and one of these sticking out of his pocket. It is obviously a fob of some sort but was it really used with a watch.

[GHP]

Guy, doesn't the object on the front look like an abacus?

Good eye, I didn't even notice that. It sure is a soroban. Most likely a soroban competition. There still are soroban competitions (English language news articles here) and here)-- I recall hearing about one in which the contestants had no soroban, but had to visualize one in their minds -- then they were given a problem to solve.

[GHP]

This is some what off the subject but something I have wondered about. You see these things referred to as "watch fabs" quite often but is that really what they are? I could be wrong but it does not seem right that a Japanese man in the pre-war years would be carrying a pocket watch with a leather strap and one of these sticking out of his pocket. It is obviously a fob of some sort but was it really used with a watch.

Here's an image from Rich Catalano's site with a piece of the leather strap still attached. Pocket watches were much more common in those days. I suppose it could also be used as a key holder...

I've seen two WWII-era German fobs made from an Edelweiß cap badge -- they look like they attached to a pocket button ... maybe that's the answer. Can you think of another use? I'm stumped.


-- Guy

[ErwinRommel1940]

GHP, thank you once again!

Interesting they also made these that were not military...I too use Rich's site, but turned up nothing. Make sense now....

[qed4]

Here's an image from Rich Catalano's site with a piece of the leather strap still attached. Pocket watches were much more common in those days. I suppose it could also be used as a key holder...

I've seen two WWII-era German fobs made from an Edelweiß cap badge -- they look like they attached to a pocket button ... maybe that's the answer. Can you think of another use? I'm stumped.


-- Guy

It is the watch part that I question, given the rejection of all things western leading up to WWII and how often these things were given out it just seems odd to me. As far as I know pocket watches with fobs were not a Japanese tradition. I would think they would be based more on a netsuke than a watch fab although they do take the shape of a western watch fob. I think it is more that westerners tend to put their own slant on things, it looks like watch fob so it must be a watch fob, but did the Japanese intend for a watch to hung from it? I could be way off on this but it just dose not make sense to me.

[GHP]

It is the watch part that I question, given the rejection of all things western leading up to WWII and how often these things were given out it just seems odd to me. As far as I know pocket watches with fobs were not a Japanese tradition. ...

In Japan, pocket watches were just "watches", not actually "Western stuff". They would not wear a netsuke on a watch chain or as a fob.


Here's a photo of Hijikata Toshizō Yosh!toyo who was a member of the Shinsengumi. He's not using a fob so's to speak, but you can see "fob medallions hanging from his chain.

[GHP]

Here's a watch chain with a jukenjutsu medal for a fob, and adverts showing various fobs and pocket watches. Granted, these fobs do not have a square opening for a leather strap; but the fact that fobs were worn on watch chains by Japanese does show proof of concept.

[GHP]

Finally, here's a Navy "fob." But this one has a ribbon attached.


Perhaps these were given out as a type of sports award and hung around the neck, or maybe even fastened by a safety pin.


Anyway, pocket watches were not uncommon through the 1930s, and (like the US and Europe) those gave way in popularity to wrist watches from about the 40s.


Cheers,
-- Guy

[beretta1934]

This is such a great subject to discuss in detail!

So I post these photos because its a cool WWII Japanese military school grad badge but also to show that the slot on top is clearly designed to connect to a ring on a chain as well as a leather strap. Most of the fobs we have posted here have the rectangular slot which we overwhelmingly see with a short leather strap going thru it.

The practice of using a chain is really not to be a retention lanyard of sorts but actually to facilitate the retrieval of the item at the other end (typically a watch in those times) out of a chest or sometime pants pocket.

In the case of the short leather strap I could see where the fob is actually the object hanging out and over the pocket edge and pulling it out retrieves the object at the other end (again presumably a watch, key, etc.) So that leather strap would not need to be long like a chain used on many more civilian type uses (like a train conductor, gentlemen in a 3 piece suit, etc)

In addition the vast majority of the WWII japanese fobs are commemorating the graduation from a military skill school and those individuals are NOT typically army front line foot soldiers - and they are overwhelmingly aviation in nature.

I could easily see a flight mechanic/leader needing to carry a watch to know the time in order to meet a deadline, when to get started on a task, to communicate estimated times when an aircraft will be flightline ready, etc. And the same applies to the needs of flight crews, bomber crews, pilots, etc.

Anyway just some thoughts on a great field of collecting interest

Ps - notice the individual's name scratched into the back of the badge!

[GHP]

In the case of the short leather strap I could see where the fob is actually the object hanging out and over the pocket edge and pulling it out retrieves the object at the other end (again presumably a watch, key, etc.) So that leather strap would not need to be long like a chain used on many more civilian type uses (like a train conductor, gentlemen in a 3 piece suit, etc)

You mean like this?

[beretta1934]

You mean like this?

Exactly!

[GHP]

Nick Komiya has weighed in, using his inimitable research, and provides the final word about these decorations.


My thanks to Nick!


-- Guy