Sake Marketing (1 results)

Sixteen delightful small porcelain spinning tops measuring 2.0 x 1.7cm in size each accompanied by ten handsome colour printed product labels heightened in gilt with soft purple cord ties (8.3 x 6cm). An intriguing collection of sake advertising ephemera in very good condition. These sake promotional giveaways and accompanying die-cut cards in the shape of the Order of the Golden Kite are advertisements associated with Meiyo-gura, a sake brand sold in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. The advertisement describes a koma (spinning top), attached beneath the bottle top, which could also serve as a small entertainment item. Each koma was hexagonal and could be used as a dice or a novelty accessory for drinking games. The value printed on the koma could be redeemed if customers presented both the koma and the accompanying medal card. These redemption promotions were available between 1937 and 1939. However, in June 1941, the rationing of sake was introduced, firmly ending such promotional schemes. The product labels, which were finely printed as these are, also informed customers about how to claim these discounts, further enhancing the appeal of the product during its promotional period. A curious example of the everyday cultural impacts of Japanese militarism - the Order of the Golden Kite was an award exclusively for military service, and was not available to the civilian public. Over the course of the Second Sino-Japanese and Pacific Wars, the order would be awarded over 140,000 times, dwarfing all previous conflicts, and reflecting the frenetic nature of Japan's total mobilisation.