Where to start?

[Kryptos]

I asked some questions a few months ago but it seems that Third Reich collecting had taken up all my energy and funds the last year so I never got around to it. Now I would really like to get started in some Japanese items.

I found some links on the net and will be trying to get my hands on the Orders and Medals of Japan and Associated States book so will be doing some research in the coming months on the items.

But in the meantime, guessing that there are as many fakes around as with TR, what would be a nice started group or set to look at, specifically WWII era in the Japanese collection? I have many Japanese hobbies, but know extremely little about the awards and decorations at this stage so looking to those with experience to help me get started.

Any help at this stage will be greatly appreciated.

[Jareth]

Here's a start. http://p2.hostingprod.com/@imperialj...com/index.html

[zachb]

Since your last inquiries into Japanese medals, this site linked below has really come into its own. I would start by looking around here:

http://p2.hostingprod.com/@imperialj...com/index.html

Here also is a forum dealing mainly with Japanese medals:

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showforum=144

You might want to try to start out just collecting the War Medals and the Commemoratives. Fakes are not so much an issue as finding some of the scarcer aforementioned medals. As always look for the best condition and try to only get medals that are cased. Zach

[Kryptos]

Thanks guys, the info is great. I actually already bookmarked the http://p2.hostingprod.com/@imperialj...com/index.html site...bless Google

One question already, as I am a collector of TR Red Cross items, my eyes happened on the Japanese Red Cross medal (the one intitudes in 1888). Is there only one and this has been presented throughout, or was there separate Red Cross medals for the WWII era?

[imperialjapan]

There was (and is) a wide variety of Red Cross medals but none that are WW2-specific as far as I know. There were some that commemorated the 1904-5 Russo-Japanese War, however.

[Kryptos]

Thanks for the info, let me go and look this up