Description
You are bidding on a VERY NICE example of a WW2 Imperial Japanese Army Ninshikihyo Identification Dog Tag, as issued to personnel during the Second World War! This was the standard oval-pattern Japanese military identification tag that featured stamped unit and individual identification information.
Imperial Japanese Army identification tags, known as “Ninshikihyo”, were issued as a means of identifying military personnel and differed considerably from the name-marked identification tags used by many Western armies. Rather than normally carrying the soldier’s personal name, Japanese Army tags generally utilized a combination of unit, organizational, and individual roster numbers. Wartime examples commonly employed numerical unit designations and military cover numbers intended to conceal the actual identity of formations. The standard Army pattern was approximately 45 mm long by 33 mm wide and was normally worn suspended by cord around the neck, forming an important part of the individual soldier’s field equipment.
The 8th Border Garrison Unit, or ???????, was an Imperial Japanese Army frontier-defense formation stationed in the Hailar region of Manchukuo as part of the Kwantung Army’s extensive defensive system facing the Soviet Union. The unit occupied fortified positions along the Soviet-Manchurian frontier and included infantry, artillery, and supporting elements tasked with border defense, reconnaissance, and resisting Soviet penetration into Manchuria. Elements of the 8th Border Garrison were committed during the 1939 Nomonhan Incident, where Japanese forces fought a major and extremely costly campaign against Soviet and Mongolian troops along the disputed frontier. Surviving identification tags connected specifically to the 8th Border Garrison are consequently particularly desirable because they can be associated with one of the most historically significant Japanese-Soviet confrontations preceding the Second World War.
Made of brass this ID Tag is in EXCELLENT used condition! Some normal patina and surface oxidation throughout…however there are NO bends, cracks, repairs, or structural damage!. The face is clearly stamped with the Japanese military Kanji identification markings, clearly indicating:
8th Border Garrison
(Unit Designation)
(The individual soldier’s roster or identification number)
The stamped characters and numbers remain clearly visible despite the naturally aged surface. Everything is 100% ORIGINAL, wartime manufacture, making this a SUPERB identified Imperial Japanese Army personal equipment item for any advanced WW2 Japanese militaria collection or display!
