Hardcover, bright red cloth cover, the text on the front cover and the spine in a gold-coloured ink, entitled "Orders and Medals of Japan and Associated States, Third Edition", by James W. Peterson, with revisions and additions by Barry C. Weaver and Michael A. Quigley, Orders and Medals Society of America (OMSA) Monograph No. 1, OMSA Publications Chairman Barry C. Weaver, copyrighted by OMSA in 2000, published in the United States of America by the Orders and Medals Society of America of San Ramon, California, distributed by OMSA Publications of Duluth, Georgia, ISBN 1-890974-09-9. The transition of Imperial Japan from feudal state to modern industrial and military power took less than eighty years. The fall of the Togukawa shogunate in 1868 and rise of a visionary elite dedicated to the achievement of power and wealth drove the Japanese throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Japan's early accomplishments were primarily due to her embrace of technological advances and the adaptation of parts of her culture to the western world. One such cultural adaptation was the institution of European style orders and medals only seven years after the Meiji Restoration. The book illustrates the various orders, medals, badges and other awards of the Japanese Empire, detailing their backgrounds, their metal content, their sizes, defining the elements involved in their designs, the date of institution for each, by what authority and for what purpose they were issued, and the colours of their ribbons. It begins with a Table of Contents, a Preface to the Third Edition, an Acknowledgements by the Editors and the Society, and an Introduction. The book is divided in the four sections and sub-divided into chapters: Section I - The Japanese Empire (Historical Overview; The Satsuma and Ryukyu Order; The Japanese Orders [entailing: The Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum; The Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun with Paulonia Flowers; The Order of the Golden Kite; The Order of the Rising Sun; The Order of the Sacred Crown; The Order of the Sacred Treasure; The Cultural Decoration], War Medals and Commemorative Medals [The War Medals; The Commemorative Medals], The Merit Medals; Non-Wearable Decorations [Cups; Silver Boxes]; Red Cross Decorations and Medals; Precedence and Manner of Wearing Japanese Orders and Medals; Japanese Military Badges [The Navy Badges; The Army Badges]; Other Japanese Badges); Section II - The Korean Empire (Historical Overview; The Korean Orders [The Order of the Golden Measure; The Order of the Auspicious Stars; The Order of the Taeguk; The Order of the Eight Trigrams; The Order of the Purple Falcon; The Order of the Auspicious Phoenix]; The Commemorative Medals); Section III - Manchukuo (Historical Overview; The Orders of Manchukuo [The Grand Order of the Orchid Blossom; The Grand Order of the Illustrious Dragon; Order of the Auspicious Clouds; The Order of the Pillars of the State]; The War Medal; The Commemorative Medals; Red Cross Decorations and Medals; Other Manchurian Awards); Section IV - Awards of Inner Mongolia and Other Associated States (Awards of Inner Mongolia; Other Associated States [East Hebei]). It concludes with a Bibliography, a List of Orders and Society of America Publications, and an Application for Membership in the Society. The book contains 196 pages, consisting of 188 pages of text and black and white photographs, along with a few line drawings, printed in black ink, with eight pages of colour plates illustrating the higher end orders and badges, along with the medals of Manchukuo inserted between pages 84 and 85, on a coated white paper stock, measuring 218 mm (w) x 285 mm (h) x 14.5 mm (d). Near extremely fine.
Reference Guide Shipping Policy: An additional shipping charge may be applicable following the time of purchase due to size, weight, and quantity. Please note that books cannot be shipped via Canada Post Flat Tracked method.