Original Items: Only One Set Available. Now this is a lovely memento from WWII. These smoking sets were most commonly found in Staff Rooms, Officers Quarters, Meeting Rooms, Offices and so on. The set consists of an eagle motif platter with blue glass bowl, cigarette case with Samurai motif, matches holder and modern box of wood matches. All items are in wonderful condition with nearly all silver plating retained.

Japanese military personnel smoked, and smoked a lot, as attested to by Japanese Naval A6M3 flier, Saburo Sakai, who survived WW2 with something close to 60 victories. Saburo Sakai started his Imperial Japanese Naval aviation career as a noncommissioned officer. He rose slowly in rank to warrant officer in 1944 and ended the war as a lieutenant.

Saburo Sakai told his biographer, Martin Caidin, that his colleagues were inveterate smokers, including himself.

During the early months of the Pacific War, Sakai related a story on one of the South Pacific islands his unit was stationed. Cigarettes ran out. The naval fliers experimented smoking awful, homemade cigars from tobacco grown on the island. One afternoon the squadron commander drove up to visit the enlisted pilots in their barracks. Noticing the pilots smoking the cigars, he ordered them to dispose of the cigars. Having endured some hardship by this time, the enlisted pilots refused to comply. This was totally unheard of in the Japanese navy much less Japanese culture.

Saburo Sakai related how the squadron commander was shocked into silence. The man returned to his staff car and drove off. Mere minutes later, the squadron commander returned, his staff car screeching to a stop in front of the barracks. The squadron commander exited the car carrying a sack. He entered the barracks and emptied out packs of cigarettes from the sack onto the floor. Stalking back out the door he turned and yelled, “…and get rid of those damned cigars!” After that moment, Sakai said the men felt even greater loyalty and devotion to their squadron commander.

A lovely set ready for display.