1936 Imperial Japanese Army Support Association 40th Anniversary Bronze Medal
"40th Anniversary Commemoration - Imperial Army Support Association". What was the Imperial Army Support Association?
The Imperial Army Support Association (Teikoku Gunjin Koenkai) was founded in the Meiji era as a nationwide military aid organization. Its mission was to provide assistance to soldiers and their families-financial support, aid for the wounded, and help for bereaved families. Backed by the Ministry of the Army, it mobilized members across Japan, collecting donations and supplies to sustain the Imperial Army. By the early Showa period, as Japan expanded into China, the association also played a political and propagandistic role, boosting public morale and reinforcing national solidarity with the military. Historical Context (1936 / Showa 11).
This was the year of the February 26 Incident, when radical young officers staged an attempted coup, shaking domestic politics and the Army's image. Abroad, Japan was pursuing aggressive continental expansion, heightening the importance of support organizations like this one.
The 40th Anniversary Ceremony was originally scheduled for March 1936 but postponed after the coup. It was finally held in June at the Imperial Theatre in Marunouchi, Tokyo, and membership numbers surged dramatically. The medal's front depicts Yatagarasu, the three-legged crow of Japanese mythology. Traditionally a divine guide, here it symbolized Japan's military expansion into mainland Asia. Beneath the crow's talons is a map-like outline of the Chinese continent, a striking visual metaphor for the Army's advance and the Association's role in supporting it. Historical value: A first-class artifact illustrating how civil organizations reinforced military expansion and state propaganda. Artistic value: Octagonal bronze with elaborate karakusa (scroll) patterns and the bold Yatagarasu motif-rare and highly symbolic. Rarity: The Association was dissolved in December 1938 after just 43 years of existence. The Yatagarasu emblem, adopted only in its final years, was abandoned after less than four years-making surviving medals scarce. Shape: Octagonal, with karakusa scrollwork border. XX cm (to be measured). Accessories: Original inscribed wooden presentation box. This medal is more than a commemorative souvenir - it is a witness to the way ordinary citizens were mobilized to support the military and how state ritual fostered national unity. The Yatagarasu emblem, linking mythological symbolism with contemporary expansionist ideology, embodied Japan's path in the mid-1930s. Produced for the 40th anniversary, yet within just two years the Association was dissolved, leaving this medal as a rare testimony to a short-lived but historically significant institution.International Buyers - Please Note. Thank you for your understanding.