Orders of Golden Kite from the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art

All japanese orders and medals that are currently in the collection of the Museum came as a gift from two prominent bankers Edward D. Adams and Jacob H. Schiff.
Both had close ties with japanese government.

Exerpt from Annual Report of the Trustees of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, No. 37 (1906)

Banker Edward Dean Adams

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Dean_Adams

Adams was a Trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and active in the American Numismatic Society, where he was a Council Member.

Banker Jacob Henry Schiff

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Schiff

Decorations were sold to Schiff and Adam (in Yokohoma) by japanese government in 1905.


1st class.

See also https://asiamedals.info/threads/1st-class-golden-kite-orders-from-meiji-epoch.22776/#post-357959



Dimensions: a: 10 1/2 × 4 1/4 in. (26.7 × 10.8 cm) b: 3 5/8 × 3 5/8 × 5/8 in. (9.2 × 9.2 × 1.6 cm) c: 1/2 × 7/16 in. (1.3 × 1.1 cm)

Breast star.



Rosette.

 

2nd class.

Badge



Dimensions: a: 3 3/4 × 2 3/4 in. (9.5 × 7 cm) b: 3 5/8 × 3 5/8 × 3/4 in. (9.2 × 9.2 × 1.9 cm) c: 1/2 × 7/16 in. (1.3 × 1.1 cm)



Breast star



Rosette.

 

3rd class.



Dimensions: a: 3 3/4 × 2 3/16 in. (9.5 × 5.6 cm) b: 1/2 × 7/16 in. (1.3 × 1.1 cm)



Rosette.

 

4th class.



Dimensions: a: 3 1/2 × 1 7/8 in. (8.9 × 4.8 cm) b: 1/2 × 7/16 in. (1.3 × 1.1 cm)



Rosette.

 

5th class.



Dimensions: a: 3 3/8 × 1 3/4 in. (8.6 × 4.4 cm) b: 1/2 × 7/16 in. (1.3 × 1.1 cm)



Rosette.

 

7th class.



Dimensions: a: 3 3/4 × 1 3/4 in. (9.5 × 4.4 cm) b: 1/2 × 1 in. (1.3 × 2.5 cm)



Rosette.

 

All classes together.

Military Order of the Golden Kite: 1880s–90s.

 

6th class is identical (by stamp) to the 7th class.
Both are "triangular wing" variation.

 

Breast stars of 1st and 2nd class are identical too.