Aikoku Fujinkai Obidome

A while back I posted an outfit wearing this piece and promised I’d devote an entry to it. Since then I’ve been trying to glean more information on it, with limited success.

The design on it is a stylized interpretation of the crest of the Aikoku Fujinkai (愛國婦人會), or Patriotic Women’s Association. This was a group of women who were somehow connected to the military, and served as a support and volunteer group during times of conflict. As far as I know, the design comes from the combination of three elements: The star represents the Army, the anchor represents the Navy, and the sakura blossom represents the Woman. This site gives many more visual references for items with the crest on it, and this one shows many of the items that members may have used in entertaining.

Christina was kind enough to attempt a translation of the inscription on the back.

“Patriotic Women’s Association, Hiroshima Prefecture branch
3rd(?) Anniversary” (Aikoku Fujinkai Hiroshimaken shibu daisan(?) kinen)

Unfortunately, I’ve as of yet been unable to determine when the Hiroshima branch was started, so I can’t determine when its third anniversary was. The association was borderline nationalistic, from what I’ve come to understand, and finding detailed (and English!) information about it is proving difficult.

If anyone happens to stumble across this entry while doing research or anything, and has further information for me, I would love to hear it. I’d love to know more about the woman who may have owned this piece. It may not be in the best shape, but to me that only increases the value. It’s a piece of history and one of the items in my collection I am most proud of.