JAPANESE DOG TAG - Anybody know what this translates to??

[beretta1934]

Just picked one of these up and would love to know what unit, soldiers name, etc it might go to. I know there are some collectors who are regular Sherlock Homes on these but I've lost my contacts in the arena of research. Any help woudl be appreciated. Back side is blank

<a href="http://imgur.com/fgi4VEw"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/fgi4VEwh.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

[GeorgeP]

Don't have unit code ID (Maybe Rod does?) but it is for a unit within the 23rd Division which ended up in the Philippines. Due to stamp placement on tag, probably a company sized and/or small oddball unit.


Tom

[Stu W]

Hi Tom,

I read it as man number 21 on the left side vertical column and right side vertical as 9,1,1,3,0. I'm not up on these at all. What connects it to the 23rd?

Regards,
Stu

[GeorgeP]

Hey Stu,

Upper right code kanji, 旭, is Asahi, code for the 23rd Division. So 旭1130 on the right. Looks like there is a coded katakana in the middle for the sub unit: イ meaning unknown.


Tom

[Stu W]

Hey Stu,

Upper right code kanji, 旭, is Asahi, code for the 23rd Division. So 旭1130 on the right. Looks like there is a coded katakana in the middle for the sub unit: イ meaning unknown.


Tom

Thanks Tom. Always appreciate your explanations particularly with the Asahi code which I misread from the beginning. I'm too used to thinking in terms of dates on nakago.

Regards,
Stu

[beretta1934]

Don't have unit code ID (Maybe Rod does?) but it is for a unit within the 23rd Division which ended up in the Philippines. Due to stamp placement on tag, probably a company sized and/or small oddball unit.


Tom

Tom

Really appreicate you help on this! Who is Rod? Could be shed more light on the Unit Code? Would love to see if we can glean just a little more out of this :-)

David

[Rod G]

Thanks Tom. Always appreciate your explanations particularly with the Asahi code which I misread from the beginning. I'm too used to thinking in terms of dates on nakago.

Regards,
Stu

Lol Stu, every number I encounter on a Japanese relic looks like a tsusho bango.

I haven't seen this number either Tom but given the similarity I'd guess at the following.

旭 1103 is the 23rd Division headquarters code, イ 旭1130 could mean a headquarters guard unit (they were small) or maybe another auxiliary function within the headquarters.

Without being certain that's the best I've got David.

Rod

[GeorgeP]

Happy to help, David.

As to any kind of name, the only time you will find something like that would be on an officer's tag. The #21 on the left side of the tag at one time was connected to a soldier, and could have been found on a document within the unit.

Tom

[beretta1934]

Thanks gentlemen for all of your time and help! So 23rd division's final posting was the Phillipines? is it a reasonable assumption that's where this was picked up?

[GeorgeP]

Yes, imo, it is quite reasonable. In my experience, it seems like both tags and techou from the Philippines are two of the most common bring backs relative to other battlefields in the Pacific.



Tom

[beretta1934]

Thanks Tom!

[imperialjapan]

Thanks gentlemen for all of your time and help! So 23rd division's final posting was the Phillipines? is it a reasonable assumption that's where this was picked up?

Picked up or brought back to the soldier and then sold off to an antique dealer who then sold it again.

Tom, was there any regulation that the soldiers had to return the tag after being repatriated? I often see tags here for sale in Japan, and I am sure they were not picked off the battlefield.

[GeorgeP]

Rich, good question, I do not know the info. for EM tags with stamped numbers. I believe officers had to purchase their own tags up to the mid 1940's so maybe a goodly number of them are those?
I have seen a fair number of pre coded EM tags sold within groupings from within Japan myself, so couldn't tell you for sure.

Tom

[imperialjapan]

I see stamped ones fairly often, too. So I suppose they were often brought back by the owners and either thrown away or stuffed in a drawer to be sold off by relatives down the road. Anyway, the minor point I was making is that these are not all 'picked up off the battlefield.'

[GeorgeP]

No doubt, I agree with your last sentence completely. I strongly believe, however, that the tag presented in this thread was picked up outside of Japan, most likely in the Philippines where the 23rd Div. was last located.

Now I would imagine that divisions in China could offer a different story with the movement of men to/from Japan from the 1930s onward. I suppose this could be mirrored in what pops up for sale presently in the way of tags.

Tom