Japanese military Second Sino-Japanese War cavalry sake cup

This Japanese porcelain sake cup from 1938 depicting the image of a horse in a lotus flower. The cup was issued to celebrate the safe return of a soldier when he was discharged from the Japanese 5th cavalry. This sake cup reflecting the owner’s military service is produced from very thin porcelain and is decorated with a light blue raised weave pattern on the outside. Sake is a traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice. The sake bottle was part of the Nick Welman private bequest to the University of Pretoria in 2010.