Hello folks. Just out of curiosity's sake, do any of you Japanese militaria experts know the origin of the 5 pointed star that was used on the Type 90 helmets? Did the earlier "cherry blossom" helmets also use the 5 pointed star? One would've thought that the chrysanthemum motif would've carried over onto the army helmets (as it did w/ the navy). I'm curious to know the background / origin of the star as it regards the Japanese military if anyone knows the story. Thanks!
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As far as I know, the star was in use as a symbol for the Japanese Army way back in the early Meiji period (1870's). That was the time the Japanese were developing a modern European model Army and Navy.
I do not think there is any particular significance to is adoption as a symbol. The star as it appears in Japanese Army usage is a western heraldic device and was not found in traditional Japanese symbolism.
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Interesting. Thanks for your reply!Comment
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In the end, the reason for the adoption of the star symbol is unclear, but there are some theories.
One is that the sign is a powerful protection against all evil in traditional Japanese cosmology, and the way "avoiding multiple evil" is pronounced in Japanese sounds the same as "avoiding bullets (tamayoke)". I had thought that the star symbol was an import from the west, but I learned that indeed the star's roots in Japanese cosmology go all the way back to the 8th century.Comment
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Even more interesting! thanks. The thought just occured to me as I was looking at some of my helmets...Never thought much about the origins of the star, but then I'd never really heard anything about them either. Makes for some interesting research. Thanks for your reply!Comment
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