Pre-WWII Japanese Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Kobe Shipyard Employee Service Badge
This is an original pre-WWII long-service award badge issued by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co. Kobe Shipyard to recognize a long-serving employee or worker. The reverse is clearly inscribed in Japanese: Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co. ” “Long Service Award” “Kobe Shipyard Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co. Was established in 1917 when Mitsubishi’s shipbuilding operations became an independent company. In 1934, the company was reorganized and renamed Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The front prominently features Mitsubishi’s famous three-diamond emblem, surrounded by industrial imagery including a gear-like design and decorative foliage. This is not a military decoration or an Imperial Japanese Navy badge. It was an internal company award recognizing long service at the Kobe Shipyard. However, its historical background is closely connected with the extraordinary growth of Japanese heavy industry and shipbuilding during the decades before World War II. Mitsubishi became one of Japan’s most important shipbuilding enterprises, producing both commercial vessels and warships. The wider Mitsubishi shipbuilding organization was responsible for famous Imperial Japanese Navy vessels including the battlecruiser Kirishima, later reconstructed as a battleship. Kirishima was built at Mitsubishi’s Nagasaki Shipyard, not Kobe Shipyard, and is mentioned here only to illustrate the historical importance of Mitsubishi’s shipbuilding operations. There is no claim that this particular badge has a direct connection to Kirishima. What makes this piece particularly interesting is the human story behind it. This small badge survives as evidence that one such person spent many years working at Mitsubishi’s Kobe Shipyard and was formally recognized for that service. The obsolete Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co. Company name engraved directly into the badge also makes it an interesting artifact of Japanese corporate and industrial history. There is age-related wear, discoloration, scratches, and patina. The pin mechanism on the reverse is damaged and partially missing. Please examine the photographs carefully for the exact condition. An interesting collectible for those interested in pre-WWII Japan, Mitsubishi history, shipbuilding, naval history, industrial history, and early Japanese corporate memorabilia. A small personal artifact from the people behind Japan’s rise as a major shipbuilding nation. Own a Piece of History. International Buyers – Please Note.