Silver Kanji vs. Gold Kanji: Lettering on the Lids of the Japanese Order Cases

Formally silver kanji were introduced on December 28, 1937 by Ministry of Finance Ordinance No. 60 that prohibited the use (as wartime austerity measure) of gold in inscriptions, trademarks, etc.

Excerpt from original ordinance.

"... may no longer be produced ...

4. Gold letters, gold silk, gold dust/powder, and other printing /四 金文字、金絲、金散シ其ノ他印刷用/
5. Gold lettering, trademarks and other signs /五 金文字、商標!他標識/

... ".

Ordinance No. 60 was later reinforced by Ministry of Finance Ordinance No. 51 issued on August 20, 1938.

Two cases for the 4th class Golden Kite order with gold and silver lettering.

Two cases for the 8th class Rising Sun order with gold and silver kanji.

 

But how quickly this change occurred?

First known cases with silver kanjis were actually issued around 1939.
See for example https://asiamedals.info/threads/7th...gineer-superior-private-takao-nakatani.25298/ ; https://asiamedals.info/threads/5th...-engineer-sergeant-major-hitoshi-okada.25263/


For how long cases with gold kanjis from old stock were in use after August 1938?

Order cases at least until 1940. See for example https://asiamedals.info/threads/4th...ed-to-the-lieutenant-commander-in-1940.24552/ ; https://asiamedals.info/threads/6th...40-to-sergeant-major-soshichi-sagisaka.26113/ ; https://asiamedals.info/threads/6th...-in-1938-to-sergeant-major-kumata-maeda.26115 ; https://asiamedals.info/threads/1st...es-edward-duke-of-saxe-coburg-and-gotha.28186 .

Medal of Honor cases at least until the end of war.

Two medals of honour with green ribbon issued on the same date in 1940 https://asiamedals.info/threads/green-ribbon-medals-of-honour-awarded-in-1940.28398/

1943 medal https://asiamedals.info/threads/mark-m-on-japanese-orders-and-medals-who-and-when.14818/#post-239171

1944 medal https://asiamedals.info/threads/blue-ribbon-medal-of-honor-awarded-in-1944.27269/

When cases with silver kanjis ceased to exist?

Top (known for today) time coordinate for the case with silver kanjis is September 27, 1957 https://asiamedals.info/threads/2nd...-sacred-treasure-order-awarded-in-1941.26114/
See also https://asiamedals.info/threads/cas...pical-style-of-inscription.26110/#post-357002

 

Medals of Honor provide excellent material for the study of post war "silver to gold kanjis" transition period.

Typical for early 1950s honor medals case .

Dark blue ribbon medal set that was awarded on August 11, 1952.

Blue ribbon medal that was awarded on October 1, 1952 (see also blue ribbon medal that was awarded on November 14, 1955 https://asiamedals.info/threads/blue-ribbon-medal-of-honor-awarded-in-1955.28253/ ).

 

Honor Medals will be issued inside cases with silver kanjis until 1957.

Medal issued on May 15, 1957.

 

Set that was issued on August 5, 1957.

 

More or less stable transition to the golden inscriptions occurred around 1958.
The earliest known (for today) set with golden kanjis that was issued on January 29, 1958 (note that the style of the kanjis is a "modern" one).

Such "modern" style of kanjis was in use at least since 1951 https://asiamedals.info/threads/red-ribbon-medal-of-honour-awarded-in-1951.25804/

Another example with golden kanjis from 1958 https://asiamedals.info/threads/4th-class-rising-sun-order-awarded-in-1970.26228/#post-357364

 

Set with a golden kanji (of old style) case issued on February 11, 1959.

 

4th class Rising Sun order awarded on September 18, 1938.

Silver kanji.

 

Dark blue ribbon issued on September 18, 1957. Probably one of the last sets with silver kanji (September 27, 1957 is the top known coordinated for the cases with silver kanjies).

 

Case of requisitioned worker merit badge that was introduced on February 26, 1944.

Requisitioned Workers Badges and Patches/応徴士徽章

Following the China Incident in 1937, Japan began its all-out mobilization for war, although some provisions of the laws passed at that time were not actually enforced until after Pearl Harbor. The authorities realized that they would need a more thorough control over national resources...

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https://asiamedals.info/threads/1st...o-lieutenant-general-toshimichi-uemura.29133/