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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;ewomack, post: 8371375, member: 15588&quot;]The flowers look like Sakura (cherry-blossom) flowers, so I would guess it came from Japan or an occupied territory (though other countries could use the same flowers). The bow at bottom center also resembles bows I&#039;ve seen on Japanese war medals. The characters in the center are a bit too stylized for me to make out, but they look like Chinese characters which could also be Japanese Kanji (or even Korean, but more likely China or Japan).</p><p><br /></p><p>Does the edge contain any characters?</p><p><br /></p><p>Update: I think I found it on this auction page: <a href="https://www.ima-usa.com/products/original-japanese-1961-named-pure-silver-yellow-named-medal-of-honor?variant=31971570319429" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.ima-usa.com/products/original-japanese-1961-named-pure-silver-yellow-named-medal-of-honor?variant=31971570319429" rel="nofollow">https://www.ima-usa.com/products/original-japanese-1961-named-pure-silver-yellow-named-medal-of-honor?variant=31971570319429</a></p><p><br /></p><p>It lists it as a 1961 Japanese medal of honor and it came with a ribbon and a case.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1485530[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Also, the description says that a name was usually engraved on the back of such medals. And the pictures from the auction differ slightly from the one posted above. Though I&#039;m not sure, it&#039;s possible that the posted picture shows a reproduction. Or perhaps it&#039;s just very heavily toned? Someone who knows far more than me on this subject would have to check it out, so don&#039;t quote me on that.</p><p><br /></p><p>Update 2: This page shows another example, which looks closer to the example above and it appears to have a blank reverse:<a href="https://stewartsmilitaryantiques.com/medals-japanese-japanese-silver-medal-of-honor-philanthropy-cased-established-1919.56160.28.military-antiques" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://stewartsmilitaryantiques.com/medals-japanese-japanese-silver-medal-of-honor-philanthropy-cased-established-1919.56160.28.military-antiques" rel="nofollow">https://stewartsmilitaryantiques.com/medals-japanese-japanese-silver-medal-of-honor-philanthropy-cased-established-1919.56160.28.military-antiques</a></p><p><br /></p><p>It says: &quot;This medal, with a dark blue ribbon, represents donations of exceptional monetary value on the behalf of the Japanese people. Established in 1919, it is still awarded today.&quot;</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1485535[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Update 3: now I&#039;m finding them all over the place. This page has another example: <a href="https://griffinmilitaria.com/product/cased-japanese-dark-blue-ribbon-medal-of-honor/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://griffinmilitaria.com/product/cased-japanese-dark-blue-ribbon-medal-of-honor/" rel="nofollow">https://griffinmilitaria.com/product/cased-japanese-dark-blue-ribbon-medal-of-honor/</a></p><p>It also has a blank reverse, so perhaps the name was engraved onto the metal on the ribbon, not on the reverse.</p><p><br /></p><p>I&#039;m more confident now that the medal pictured may be a real Japanese Medal of Honor, but again an expert would have to verify that. With case and ribbon, other examples seem to have sold anywhere from $150 - $300.</p><p><br /></p><p>Update 4: Yet another example: <a href="https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/1139413408/japanese-dark-blue-ribbon-medal-of-honor" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/1139413408/japanese-dark-blue-ribbon-medal-of-honor" rel="nofollow">https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/1139413408/japanese-dark-blue-ribbon-medal-of-honor</a></p><p>It looks like the date of the medal was inscribed on the metal band that came with the ribbon. This page also included the characters on the medal itself: 褒章, pronounced &quot;hōshō&quot; and they apparently mean &quot;medal.&quot;[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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