The Victory Medal was a commemorative
military medal
The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land. The award ...
of
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
awarded to mark service during the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. Established by Imperial Edict #406 on 17 September 1920, it was one of the series of Victory Medals created and awarded by the victorious allies after the First World War. Fifteen nations in all issued a version of the medal. All shared the rainbow suspension and service ribbon, but the medals' designs varied by country. Japan's design was different from all other versions as it did not depict the goddess
Victory
The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal Duel, combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitu ...
. This figure from
Roman mythology
Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans. One of a wide variety of genres of Roman folklore, ''Roman mythology'' may also refer to the modern study of these representat ...
would have no connection to Japanese culture, so a depiction of
Takemikazuchi
is a deity in Japanese mythology, considered a god of thunder and a sword god. He also competed in what is considered the first sumo wrestling match recorded in history.
He is otherwise known as "The ''kami'' of Kashima"" (Kashima-no-kami), the ...
, the war god in
Japanese mythology
Japanese mythology is a collection of traditional stories, folktales, and beliefs that emerged in the islands of the Japanese archipelago. Shinto and Buddhist traditions are the cornerstones of Japanese mythology. The history of thousands of year ...
occupies the obverse of the medal.
[ Edict No. 406 "Official Gazette". September 17, 1920 ]
See also
*
Japanese intervention in Siberia
The of 1918–1922 was the dispatch of Japanese military forces to the Russian Maritime Provinces as part of a larger effort by western powers and Japan to support White Russian forces against the Bolshevik Red Army during the Russian Civil ...
References
External links
Medal - Victory Medal 1914-1918, Japan, 1920{{Inter-Allied Victory Medal
Military awards and decorations of Japan
Interallied Victory Medals of World War I
Awards established in 1920