Japan, Empire. An Imperial Navy Officer's Visor Cap

Fabricated from a black wool on the exterior, featuring the classic high peak, the upper edge trimmed in black wool covered piping. It has a 40 mm wide band in black wool displaying a repeating stacked-look pattern around its circumference. There are dual black-finished metal eyelets for ventilation placed on either side on the overhang. There is a 69 mm (w) x 58 mm (h) Imperial Japanese Navy cap badge on the front, the silvered anchor mounted to a black felt disk in the centre, the disk surmounted by a silvered bronze cherry blossom, the surrounding leafing in silvered and gold-coloured bullion wire, in various textures, on a black wool base. The stiff visor is finished in black leather, with a wide reinforcing strip in black stitched in place on the edge. There is a black leather strap with dual adjustable sliders that runs across the front between the bronze buttons on either side, each of the buttons bearing an anchor fronted by a cherry blossom. The underside of the visor is in black leather, the sidewalls and dome lined in a purple silk. It incorporates a 35 mm wide sweatband in leather, the upper of which is finished in a black patent, the ends of which are held together via a chocolate brown ribbon at the rear. The dome has an elongated hexagon-shaped patch stitched in place bearing the manufacturer's name in Japanese. The cap measures 230 mm in width x 260 mm in depth x 100 mm in height, exhibiting wear in multiple areas on the black wool band, green oxidation on the right side button, surface rust on the four eyelets, along with light crazing on the visor. It is of very fine quality manufacture and is free of mothing. Very fine.