Nambu World: Nomonhan Border Incident Service Medal

This medal was awarded for service in the 1939 border incident with the Soviet Union in north-western Manchuria along the border with Mongolia. Actually this medal was not issued by Japan, but by Manchukuo, the puppet state the Japanese set up in Manchuria. It is covered on page 150 of OMJAS. The clash was a disaster for Japan, which for the first time since the Russo-Japanese War faced an opponent with a huge modern army and vastly superior equipment, including massed tank formations. The Soviets cut through the Japanese like a hot knife through butter and inflicted around 20,000 casualties in two weeks.

I have another Nomonhan-related item, a hand-carved cigarette case with three of the Imperial cigarettes awarded to those who returned from the campaign. I will add a link when I post a page on that item.

Here is the back of the medal. Although it was technically issued by Manchukuo, it is completely Japanese in construction: same attachment, clasp, etc. It is a relatively scarce and expensive medal as Japanese service medals go.

The bar has the usual inscription, which reads from right to left: ju-gun-ki-sho (military service medal).

Here is a close-up of the front. OMJAS says the bird is supposed to be a dove and the design above it, an orchid. The medal is 30mm (1-3/16”) in diameter. The lighter area in the lower right is probably a spot where someone once removed some verdigris.

The back has four characters that read from right to left: kok-kyo-ji-hen (border incident).

I have not seen a good detailed account of the Nomonhan Incident, but I will add a reference when I find one. It was quite an important battle in that it represented a lost opportunity for Japan: had they learned from their failures they would have been much more formidable opponents when they faced powerful US and Commonwealth armies again in the later stages of WWII.

To return to the base page on Medals, please click here: Nambu World: Japanese Medals

To return to “Other Japanese Militaria”, please click here: Nambu World: Other Japanese Militaria

To return to the home page, please click here: Nambu World: Teri’s WWII Japanese Handgun Website

Last updated: July 21, 2006. All contents are copyright Teri unless otherwise specified and may not be used elsewhere in any form without prior permission.