Hi All! I just bought this on Ebay on a whim. It appears to be a badge relating to the navy of the Republic of China. There also appears to be a maker's mark on the reverse. Other than that, I know nothing about it, and would be most appreciative if someone could translate the Chinese / give me more info on it. I know the photos aren't the best (they are from the listing) - I'll try to get better ones up when I actually get the item. Many thanks in advance!
Im more of the opinion that its Japanese and related to WWII or military. It just looks more of a Sakura petal.
The reason that I went down the RoC route is that a variant of this insignia is still used by the Taiwanese navy today: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_China_Navy Also, the characters look Chinese to me (although I might be wrong - I do not read Chinese). Agreed about the flower though.
I agree that the piece is possibly a Taiwanese navy badge. Just checked with my friend for a translation. The 2 characters in the front says it is a reward for hard-working labor. Characters on the back says it is from a Navy Technology Research Center. Hope this helps.
Ah this is fascinating. The navy was formed when it was part of a Japanese colony. Thus there is some resemblance.
My wife translated the Japanese as: It's an award medal presented to good workers at the Japanese Naval Technology Center (location is unknown) Back of the badge: Kaigun Gijyutsu Tenkyu Go (Naval Technology Center) Front of the badge: Translates as - Good Worker
