Cigarette Packs

[Ron C.]

I got these from a WW2 Marine vet back in the early 1950s. I even smoked a few, which damned near knocked me over the hill........strong. What does it say on the packages, and are they worth anything?

Thanks,
Ron

[GHP]

Green Package:

Front:
金鵄
Kinshi "Golden Kite"

Back:
專賣局
Senbai-Kyoku
Monopoly Bureau

Side 1:
拾本入 定價拾五錢
Contents: 10 Standardized price 15 sen

Side 2:
きんし
Kinshi [in hiragana]

=====

Brown Package:

Front:
「？」礼
Homare

Front bottom:
專賣局
Senbai-Kyoku
Monopoly Bureau

Both sides:
ほまれ 壱拾本入
Homare [in hiragana] Contents: 10

--Guy

Edit: note the two ways of writing 10 in old kanji: 拾 and 壱拾

[Ron C.]

Thanks Guy. Ya wanta smoke one ?

Ron

[Staldion]

Hello Ron, japanese wartime cigarettes are quite rare, you smoked some money more than good tabacco! The Golden Kite is nice and desirable, the trend was called "Golden Bat" (before and after the war) it's a very popular trend in Japan because it is the cheapest, it has a lot of success in the army, and in China which was the first custommer.

The japanese even cut the Golden Bat with a small dose of opium to brainwash the population get them addicted so they will not riot against them. Well that was the plan. Maybe that's why you found them quite strong! (I believe there was no opium in thoose for the troops but how could we be sure?)

But as the english words were banned, Golden bat became Golden Kite to the end of the war.

Golden Bat still exist today. Your example appears to be from 1943. You have all the shape of their packet though the ages right here: http://www.lsando.com/oldcigarette/oldcigarette3.htm

A short biography of the "father" Naoki Hoshino of the trend, a short introduction on how the japanese rules the narcotraffic in Manchuria and China:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naoki_Hoshino

Very interesting subject. Today, it's the North Krean governement who sells drugs, not opium anymore but metamphetamine, targeting the USA. I believe some japanese expert stayed in Korea after the war to teach the communist how produce and sell drug.

[Milton]

Interesting thread gents. Here's a pack of WWII Japanese smokes I picked up quite a few years ago....alas, never smoked any of 'em and the pack is still unopened. Posing with a battlefield pick-up Type 90 helmet here. I only have this one photo on hand, but would you be able to enlighten me at all about THIS particular brand (if the photo is clear enough to determine it?)...The central design is some Kanji with a chrysanthemum at the bottom. Thanks in advance.

[GHP]

...The central design is some Kanji with a chrysanthemum at the bottom.

That looks like the back side, and says "Monopoly Bureau"

專賣局
Senbai-Kyoku
Monopoly Bureau

Side:
拾本入
Contents: 10

The package design looks similar to the "Cherry" box:


According to the link posted above by Staldion [THANKS!], it also had an earlier design with romaji characters -- which were banned in WW2:


--Guy

[Milton]

Great! Thank you for the information.

[Ron C.]

Thanks Staldion, I learned much more than I ever thought I would about them, and also, maybe, why I almost fell over the hillside when I smoked one. We used to go back on the hill and play army when I was a kid. We had real Japanese, German and U.S. helmets; WW2 U.S. training rifles and a lot of field equipment.

Ron