A rare and important part of Imperial Japanese military history, this beautiful set of 3 pure silver Jungin sake cups was a rare commemorative piece for the South Manchuria Railway.
The South Manchuria Railway was active from 1906 to 1945; despite being primarily used to operate railway systems in Manchukuo, it was in reality a conglomerate which worked with the Japanese government to control Manchukuo as a puppet state in Northeast China.
In the 1930s, the Showa Emperor made several state visits to Manchukuo, during which he attended several banquets. It is likely that this set of sake cups were made for one such occasion; the largest of these sake cups is inscribed “South Manchuria Railway Co. Ltd, 1936”, with marks for Mori Yoko, a silver workshop that created badges and medals for the Manchurian government. Records from that period describe these sets as “a set of silver cups in recognition of contribution to the founding of our country”, and these sets were made only for this occasion and in highly limited quantities, given to officials who had performed great merit.
Another hallmark to the base is Jungin; Jungin was a mark that was used to indicate a standard of maximum silver purity, and in practical terms that was well above the sterling standard, ranging from .950 to .999 silver purity.
This set is not only a beautiful piece, but an important part of history which encapsulates the Manchukuo period which had great consequences for China and Japan, as well as the world.
Price marked at $3075 AUD for the set.
Measurements: 9cm diameter to 12.2 cm diameter (from smallest to largest), 3cm to 4cm height (from smallest to largest), 512 grams total weight.
Excellent vintage condition; each slightly out of round but substantial and of thick gauge; this is typical considering the very high purity of Japanese silver and wartime conditions.
References:
https://asiamedals.info/threads/1937-south-manchurian-railway-award-silver-sake-cups.27758/
