Japanese field cap unusual pins

[Michael Stern]

Hello,
I posted this Japanese field cap last week, and received a few responses. One gentleman mentioned markings on the liner, another asked if the stitching to the star came through the liner. There are markings on the liner and there is no stitching. I am still interested in knowing what the two pins indicate? Thanks again,
Mike

[Michael Stern]

field cap

J

[Michael Stern]

field

cap

[Michael Stern]

cap

field

[cbuehler]

Hi Mike,
The cap is a officers example and private purchase as all of them were. I can make out clearly enough the writing in the liner, but it is undoubtedly the name of the owner. The tag on the rear is a radium marker sometimes attached to officers headgear in the field, I presume to aid in night movement and identification.
The small badge at the top front of the cap is unknown to me, but looks to be a factory tag of some sort. Certainly not military however. The Corporals rank tab is an early one, and like the tag above it, does not belong on the cap.
There were instances wherein rank was worn on the caps, but they were invariably worn on the sides.
I my opinion, the rank and tag should be removed and you will have nice example of a cap that was undoubtedly a battlefield aquisition with the radium marker still attached.

CB

[Michael Stern]

Japanese Field Cap

Hi,
Thank you very much for your response, I truly appreciate your opinion. Up until now, I was not sure what I had.
Thanks again,
Mike

[blinky]

Members with a little more experience than myself have already spoken about this cap but I'd be in a little less of a hurry myself to remove the disk on the front of the cap. Several years ago I picked up a nice officers cap with an unusual design stitched to the front above the star in a very subtle colored thread. By chance afterwards I found an EM cap with the same design stitched on the side near the soldier's name. The provenance of the caps were unquestionable and I think the general thought at the time was it was some sort of regimental or unit marking. Perhaps the disk on the front of this cap is the same sort of thing? Just a suggestion. Even if they were just doohickeys added by vet it's still kind of neat and part of the history of the cap.

eric

[Jareth]

The cap reminds me of a civil style more than an officers pattern. If it is an officer's cap the corporal tab, as Conrad pointed out, doesn't belong on the cap. The chinstrap is non typical (no buttons?), cloth sweat band is incorrect for officer's & the star is a style I've never seen before. I discussed cap with another collector who recalled a glow in the dark button added to a cap awhile back. Could this be that cap?

[cbuehler]

The cap reminds me of a civil style more than an officers pattern. If it is an officer's cap the corporal tab, as Conrad pointed out, doesn't belong on the cap. The chinstrap is non typical (no buttons?), cloth sweat band is incorrect for officer's & the star is a style I've never seen before. I discussed cap with another collector who recalled a glow in the dark button added to a cap awhile back. Could this be that cap?

There are some atypical features on this cap. I am quite sure this is a very late war produced cap. I have a very beat up officers cap captured in the Philippines with a cloth sweatband. It also has a star similar to the one pictured here. The star is rather frayed like the one here and gives it a noticable thread bare appearance. It also has another cloth field made chinstrap sewn on in addition to the faux leather one. Officers field caps that were captured on the actual battlefields are fairly scarce and by the end of the war some odd variations to the norm are encountered.
I dont know what to make of the chinstrap on the cap pictured here, but it is possible it was a replacement? Anyway, it is a real strap nonetheless. I have another captured cap with a slightly different radium disc attached in exactly the same manner as this one.
I dont recall discussing my cap before, but we could have.

CB