Captured helmet

[Finnishlion178]

I got this helmet from off of ebay. It have been a long time since I brought anything Japanese now and I am just getting back into it. So What do anyone think? Could anyone read the Kanji on the back of it? Is it ok or did I get ripped off? What type of Pith Helmet is it?

http://i3.ebayimg.com/03/i/000/78/6a/94e7_1.JPG
http://i1.ebayimg.com/03/i/000/78/6a/97fe_1.JPG
http://i15.ebayimg.com/04/i/000/78/6a/9b82_1.JPG

[Gunbunny]

Looks like an Indian or Burmese made private purchase pith helmet that someone stuck some insignia on. Can't tell from photos how old it is.

[ROBB]

What does the interior label say ? how much did you pay for it who was the seller and was it described as ww2 Japanese? Ta Rob

[GoForBroke]

It's difficult to authenticate private purchase pith helmets They were manufactured by many companies in many countries. I prefer to always examine these in hand to arrive at a 'best' conclusion. Since it is an Ebay purchase, the questions Rob asked are important in providing 'clues'. I don't read old Kanji and usually obtain translations from at least 2 reliable resources but at first glance it looks 'okay' but I would definitely have it translated. The condition of the star looks polished or newer than the rest of the helmet - insignina is a focal point and it may have been added, replaced, or just the original star that has been polished recently. Also, if you've handled lots of pith helmets, sometimes the construction and materials can offer some possible clues as to the era. But again, in a case like this, often you can only make an educated guess even after examining it in hand unless there are other exact examples in collections with solid provenance..

[Jareth]

Like someone said, these private purchase pith helmets are scarry. There is one ebay seller in Japan who has these on all the time & I suspect he's added the star. Many merchants in Japanese occupied countries sold these. I don't like the pattern. I've never seen that strap across top on a true Japanese private pith. There were numerous variations of these. Most don't have that strap. They have top vents, side vents & combinations of. Many have manufactures labels on top or side. All of the private examples I own have gilt (gold plated) raised relief stars. I don't like it when the insignia is mounted too high on the helmet. I feel that's a bad sign. Your photos are too dark to judge kanji. I'd like to see what they translate too other than a name.

[Finnishlion178]

The inside label was Imperial General Stores– Kashmiri Bazar-Hoshiarpur . I paid $50 for it. Yes he said it was a Japanese Officer's Pith Helmet. The seller is in the US and his name is cwusa.

[GHP]

This is not Japanese lettering:


I also rotated the image to see if it looked more familiar (if upside down); however it looked just as cryptic. It's not Burmese either.

I think the lettering was made to replicate a Japanese-style writing by someone who doesn't know Japanese or Chinese.

--Guy Power

[Finnishlion178]

Well, my only question. Could have been by a Indian Soldier who with Japanese? I bid it on but I have not paid yet.

[GoForBroke]

Label and seller add some encouragement. But if the kanji is no good, that's bad. Still very hard to tell. Some pith helmet construction didn't change for years after the war. At that price you really don't have much to worry about as far as getting hurt financially. I think the education alone is worth the price. I remember years ago I had one that had a broken brim and I was able to see the material under the cloth - took some out with a tweezer and found it was cocmpressed newspaper with Japanese characters printed on it! Had a star mounted high like yours anad had a British label in it! I got rid of it because the condition was bad and it was decomposing in my hands but never really new for sure if it was a Japanese purchase/military used wartime private purchase pith but I would have kept it if it was in better shape because there was enough going for it. .If it feels good, don't spend too much time analyzing it - hold onto it for a little while and use it for reference and move it on if you find yourself not enjoying have it.

[cbuehler]

Unfortunately to say, the so called Kanji is illegible and not Japanese. This is one of the greatest pitfalls for Japanese collectors. So many mistakes and bad information come about for lack of ability to read. This is of course understandable for most of us as just a basic familiarity with written Japanese is quite a job! I just won on epay a pocket patch that was described by the seller as a soldiers ID with his name and number on it. It is actually another of the fairly common ID's for Filipinos working under the Japanese administration and has her name and age! There are loads of these out there that guys think are Japanese military and of course are not. ( I just happen to collect these and am probably one of the few who is ).

CB

[Doug See]

In my opinion, this looks like a gun show special. The wear and fading do not reflect years in the sun, and 60 years of ageingt, the characters are bogus. I am always leary of any stamped brass stars attached to civilian style helmets.