1st type.
Reverse
古賀連隊 - Koga Regiment
血染の連隊旗 - Blood-stained Regimental Flag
Reverse
古賀連隊 - Koga Regiment
血染の連隊旗 - Blood-stained Regimental Flag
"Blood-stained Regimental Flag of Koga Regiment" Watch Fobs/血染の連隊旗 古賀連隊章
2nd type.
1st variation.
Inscriptions are the same.
1st variation.
Inscriptions are the same.
2nd variation (by stamp).
"Although self-sacrifice had been linked with patriotism during earlier wars, the narratives of heroism that circulated during the early 1930s redefined the concept of sacrifice. In the new formulation, sacrifice meant the embrace of death. Accounts of the battlefield showed an extraordinary preoccupation with death. Death provided the dramatic center of the stories, and patriotic heroism was defined by martyrdom through death – preferably by suicide. The case of Regimental Commander Koga Dentaro provided what became the classic narrative. As part of the “mopping-up” operations following the occupation of Jinzhou in early January 1932, Koga’s cavalry regiment had occupied the walled city of Jinxi, southwest of Jinzhou. After a large “bandit” force attempted to retake Jinxi in early January 1932, Koga determined, against orders, that he would mount his own attack. Impatient for action, he was unwilling to stand guard over the city and wait passively for reinforcements. Leaving a platoon of some 21 men at Jinxi to guard the flag, Koga took the remaining 130 men with him to attack a force of over 1,000. Although Koga’s forces soon found themselves in desperate difficulties, upon hearing that the flag-guarding platoon was in danger, Koga split his forces again, taking half to rescue the flag and leaving the rest to “hold off the enemy.” In the end this reckless course of action accomplished nothing and cost the regiment virtually all its officers, leaving Koga and eleven others dead and nineteen wounded. Yet Koga became one of the most celebrated heroes of the Manchurian Incident. His story was the subject of a naniwabushi chanton the Polidor label, of Tokatsu and Shinko movies, and was staged by the famous Tokyo Kokuza Theater. Told andretold countless times in every popular entertainment medium, the Koga narrative glorified his actions as the archetype of military heroism.
In an illustrated version published in the magazine Boy’s Club, “Ah! The Imperial Flag Is in Danger,” the suicidal attack on the “bandit army” (which had multiplied into a force of 5,000) was depicted as an act of courage and daring. Without mentioning Koga’s insubordination, Boy’s Club narrated Koga’s actions as a series of glorious lastst ands atJinxi. Ateach stage another band of Japanese soldiers – cut off from their comrades and hopelessly outnumbered – fought to the death to protect the flag. While the story exalted sacrifice for the nation (in the symbol of the flag), it did so by celebrating individual acts of heroism. In sequence each of these last stands grew more dramatic and heroic. They were, in effect, a kind of competition: the reader moved up the tournament ranks, finally witnessing Koga’s triumph – the most glorious act of heroism.
Like other stories of the Manchurian Incident, Koga’s story conveyed the message that sacrifice through death was the only path to virtue. Rendered with images like “crimson-stained snow” and the “glittering face of death,” or by the traditional metaphor of a “fallen cherry blossom,” death in these stories was transformed into a symbol of poignant beauty. The Boy’s Club version of the Koga story departed from this convention and described Koga’s final moments under the caption, “The Command that was Vomited with Blood.” This decidedly unbeauteous yet arresting image of Koga’s dying visage left the reader with a brutally powerful visual impression. Koga’s last moments saw him hit and fallen, only to raise himself on his sword point to issue the forward order.
The Commander looked so bad that the others stood blankly for a moment. Then suddenly, he was lurching up from between the bodies and they could hear his voice drying out mightily: “Save the flag! Forward, forward!” As he cried out blood spurted from his mouth and he slid to the ground. But again he pulled himself up on his sword point and forced outa raspy cry, “Forward, forward . . .” He continued thus three or four times more, falling and rising, rising and falling, till finally, face down on the grass, he moved no more.
Sacrifice in the line of duty provided both the dramatic climax and aesthetic heart of Koga’s story. Distinguished by his suicidal act of bravery, Koga became a hero at the very moment of his death."
In an illustrated version published in the magazine Boy’s Club, “Ah! The Imperial Flag Is in Danger,” the suicidal attack on the “bandit army” (which had multiplied into a force of 5,000) was depicted as an act of courage and daring. Without mentioning Koga’s insubordination, Boy’s Club narrated Koga’s actions as a series of glorious lastst ands atJinxi. Ateach stage another band of Japanese soldiers – cut off from their comrades and hopelessly outnumbered – fought to the death to protect the flag. While the story exalted sacrifice for the nation (in the symbol of the flag), it did so by celebrating individual acts of heroism. In sequence each of these last stands grew more dramatic and heroic. They were, in effect, a kind of competition: the reader moved up the tournament ranks, finally witnessing Koga’s triumph – the most glorious act of heroism.
Like other stories of the Manchurian Incident, Koga’s story conveyed the message that sacrifice through death was the only path to virtue. Rendered with images like “crimson-stained snow” and the “glittering face of death,” or by the traditional metaphor of a “fallen cherry blossom,” death in these stories was transformed into a symbol of poignant beauty. The Boy’s Club version of the Koga story departed from this convention and described Koga’s final moments under the caption, “The Command that was Vomited with Blood.” This decidedly unbeauteous yet arresting image of Koga’s dying visage left the reader with a brutally powerful visual impression. Koga’s last moments saw him hit and fallen, only to raise himself on his sword point to issue the forward order.
The Commander looked so bad that the others stood blankly for a moment. Then suddenly, he was lurching up from between the bodies and they could hear his voice drying out mightily: “Save the flag! Forward, forward!” As he cried out blood spurted from his mouth and he slid to the ground. But again he pulled himself up on his sword point and forced outa raspy cry, “Forward, forward . . .” He continued thus three or four times more, falling and rising, rising and falling, till finally, face down on the grass, he moved no more.
Sacrifice in the line of duty provided both the dramatic climax and aesthetic heart of Koga’s story. Distinguished by his suicidal act of bravery, Koga became a hero at the very moment of his death."
Source.
Raw watch fob.
Reverse
嗚呼 - Death of
古賀連隊長 - Regimental Commander Koga
Reverse
嗚呼 - Death of
古賀連隊長 - Regimental Commander Koga
Another example of 1st type watch fob.
Photo courtesy of the owner.
Height 42.3 mm.
Width 25.0 mm.
Weight 11.4 g.
Photo courtesy of the owner.
Height 42.3 mm.
Width 25.0 mm.
Weight 11.4 g.
Watch fob of 1st type that almost completely lost its silvering.
