The Purpose of This Blog
Hi, I’m Soshu (曹集), the one running this blog.
This blog is intended to share information that allows even beginners who are interested in starting with the uniforms of Imperial Japanese soldiers to enjoy the attire of an Imperial soldier.
When it comes to military gears, especially from the old Japanese military, you won’t find them readily available in your typical stores. So, gathering information like “Where can I buy them?” or “What do I need?” can be quite challenging. Even for us Japanese, acquiring these items can be difficult, so I can imagine that it’s even tougher for people from other countries to obtain accurate information.
I may not be a native speaker, but I can understand English reasonably well. Therefore, I wanted to provide information to people from countries other than Japan.
I hope that by introducing the genuine and replica military gear I have collected so far, readers can enjoy participating in activities like Japanese military reenactment with nice Japanese military equipment.
Please note that I primarily collects equipment worn by non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army from the Showa era (1926-1945). Consequently, we ask for your understanding that this blog will mainly feature items related to those periods.
About Me
Born in 1984. From Aichi Prefecture, Japan. (It is located near Nagoya City, which is the third-largest city in Japan, and is situated in the almost central part of Japan’s main island.)
I loved plastic model kits since I was around 3 years old, and I’ve been building models of World War II tanks, warships, and aircraft ever since. I also enjoy war movies, history books, and firsthand accounts from veterans. I grew up as a history enthusiast.
I was good at studying, so I entered the University of Tokyo. I enrolled in the Faculty of Literature, specializing in Japanese history, where I focused entirely on researching what I loved. At that time, both of modern history professors were significant enthusiasts of the Japanese military, and I found their teachings highly informative. For my graduation thesis, I wrote about the late-stage production of Japanese Army tanks during the later phases of the Greater East Asia War1. While I briefly considered becoming a researcher, I realized that it can be quite challenging to secure a professorship without some luck and that stability in life is important. Therefore, I chose to pursue a typical career as an IT engineer.
Between 2002, when I was a university student, and around 2010, I was primarily active as a modeler. I used to write review articles for a certain magazine that has since gone out of print, focusing on new product reviews. Of course, my specialty was Japanese military tanks. When the opportunity arises, it would be great to showcase Japanese tank models and more within this blog. Now that I have access to actual military gear, I feel that I can improve the accuracy of soldier figures more than I could back then.
I started getting into Japanese military gear around 2015 when I was in my early thirties. It all began when a friend invited me to play airsoft. Instead of wearing some generic camouflage outfit that I didn’t really understand, I thought, “Why not give a try to the Japanese soldier uniforms I’ve been curious about for so long?” That’s how it all started.
In 2023, I obtained an antique dealer’s license and started participating in auctions. Lately, the opportunities to come across military gear have been dwindling, and finding noteworthy items has become quite challenging. I’m approaching it in a relaxed and patient manner, considering it an extension of my hobby.
The Origin of the Blog Title “Soshu/曹集”
In English, the term “Soshu” would translate to “Sargent’s Collections”. It consists of two letters, “So” and “Shu”. The term “Soshu” itself is not a Japanese word but a coined term by combining the first character of “Sargent” (Socho) and the first character of “Collections” (ShuShu-Hin).
My collection may not be as impressive as those of many senior collectors. However, the goal of this blog is not to showcase rare collectibles but to share the enjoyment of Japanese military uniforms with as many people as possible. I aim to provide information that readers can easily use as a reference to acquire items and enjoy the world of Japanese military uniforms.
I sometimes repair damaged authentic items or modify commercially available replicas to improve the accuracy of military uniforms. I also plan to introduce these processes in the blog.
- The widely used term “Pacific War” in Japan today is a term coined after the war, and the term used by people at that time was “Greater East Asian War”. Using the word “Greater East Asian War” today may sound somewhat right-wing to some, but in this blog, it may be used as a historical term. ↩︎