Item number: M513

Year: AD 1937-2026

Material: Bonze

Size: 54.7 x 54.7 x 5.9 mm

Weight: 82.05 g

Provenance: Xiang Yun Antique 2026

This is a commemorative medal for the Incident in China (Sino-Japanese War), issued by the Osaka Mint of the Empire of Japan. It constitutes one of a pair of Army and Navy medals released simultaneously, with this specific specimen representing the Navy. This specimen is modern copy.

The obverse depicts the battlefield of the Battle of Shanghai (referred to by Japan as the Second Shanghai Incident). The principal motif features a profile view of an officer of the Shanghai Special Naval Landing Force facing left, attired in landing force uniform and equipped with a Type 94軍刀 (Type 94 sabre/kyūyon-shiki gun’tō) at his waist, observing through binoculars. In the background surrounding him, three naval landing force personnel wearing helmets are positioned behind a sandbag barricade on a rooftop, operating a Type 92 heavy machine gun. Above, the urban cityscape of Shanghai is visible, engulfed in smoke and war, portraying the battlefield undergoing Japanese assault. The medal is bounded by a raised rim.

The reverse features a principal motif of three Mitsubishi Ki-21 (Type 97) heavy bombers flying in formation, set against a background displaying a portion of the territory of the Republic of China, roughly centred on Wuchang. The Great Wall, the Yangtze River, the Yellow River, and cities marked with circles—including Beiping, Jinan, Qingdao, Chang’an, Shanghai, and Nanjing—are discernable on the map. This cartographic representation likely hints at Japan’s intention under the “doctrine of a decisive blow against China” (dui Zhi yiji lun) to shift its objective from the occupation of North China to a direct attack on the Nanjing Government to compel its surrender. An incised bomb extends from north to south across the map, bearing the vertical inscription “Incident in China Commemoration” (Zhina shibian jinian), with “Twelfth Year of Showa” (AD 1937) arranged horizontally below it. Along the lower margin, the small characters “Made by the Mint” (Zaobiju zhi) are circumscribed. The medal is enclosed by a rim.

Following the Mukden Incident, the Nationalist Government adopted a strategy of “resisting on one hand and negotiating on the other” to buy time for war preparation due to the disparity in national strength, establishing a “war of attrition” strategy with Sichuan and other south-western regions as the rear base. Upon the outbreak of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in AD 1937, the National Revolutionary Army decided to open a second front in Shanghai to prevent the Imperial Japanese Army from advancing directly southwards along the Pinghan (Beiping-Hankou) Railway to attack Wuhan and sever China in two. This intended to draw the main Japanese force to East China with its intricate network of waterways, thereby forcing a shift in its operational axis to an upward assault from east to west. On 13 August, the Japanese forces launched an attack on Zhabei in Shanghai, marking the outbreak of the Battle of Shanghai. Initially, the National Revolutionary Army concentrated its elite German-trained and equipped divisions to proactively besiege the positions of the Japanese Naval Landing Forces. Subsequently, as the Japanese military reinforced heavily to effect amphibious landings, the National Revolutionary Army continuously committed both Central Army and local warlord forces, escalating the conflict into an extremely fierce war of attrition. The two armies engaged in bloody combat for nearly three months at critical locations such as Luodian, Dachang, and Yunzaobang, resulting in severe casualties for the National Revolutionary Army. On 5 November, the Japanese Tenth Army landed at Jinshanwei, severing the retreat path of the National Revolutionary Army. On 8 November, the National Revolutionary Army ordered a general withdrawal, which degenerated into a rout due to organisational disarray, ultimately leading to the fall of Shanghai. This battle claimed over half of the elite troops of the National Revolutionary Army and directly led to the fall of Nanjing and the subsequent tragedy of the Nanjing Massacre. Strategically, however, it successfully diverted the main force of the Japanese military towards East China, pivoting the enemy’s axis of advance to an westward thrust along the Yangtze River. It thereby secured precious time for the evacuation of coastal materials and industries to the south-western hinterland, laying the foundation for a prolonged, sustained war of resistance.

物件編號: M513

年代: 公元 1937-2026 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 54.7 x 54.7 x 5.9 mm

重量: 82.05 g

來源: 祥雲珍寶閣 2026

這是一枚大日本帝國大阪造幣局發售的支那事變紀念章牌，為同時發售的一對陸、海軍章牌之一，此為海軍章牌。本件為現代複製版。

正面為松滬會戰戰場（日稱第二次上海事變）。主圖為一名上海海軍特別陸戰隊軍官的左側身像，著陸戰服，腰配九四式軍刀，正執雙筒望遠鏡眺望，背景身周是在屋上以沙壘為掩體的三名陸戰隊員，頭戴頭盔，架著九二式重機關銃。上方可見陷入硝煙與戰火的上海市街，為日軍正在侵攻的戰場。章緣有邊環。

背面主圖為編隊飛行的三架三菱九七式重轟炸機，背景則是大致以武昌為中心的中華民國部分版圖。版圖上可見長城、長江、黃河，以及用圓圈標註的北平、濟南、青島、長安、上海、南京等城市。該地圖可能暗示了在「對支一擊論」下，日本的企圖從對華北地區的占領，轉為直接攻擊南京政府以迫使投降。有一陰刻的炸彈由北至南亙於地圖上，其上豎列「支那事變記念」，下方則橫列「昭和十二年」，下方章緣則環列小字「造幣局製」。章緣有環。

九一八事變後，國民政府因國力懸殊採取「一面抵抗，一面交涉」的策略以爭取時間備戰，並確立以四川等西南地區為後方根據地的「持久戰」戰略。公元1937年七七事變爆發，國軍為防止日軍沿平漢鐵路「由北向南」直攻武漢將中國切斷，遂決定在上海開闢第二戰場，吸引日軍主力至水網交錯的華東，強迫其作戰軸線轉為「由東向西仰攻」。 8月13日，日軍向上海閘北發動進攻，八一三淞滬會戰爆發。初期國軍集中精銳德械師主動圍攻日本海軍陸戰隊陣地；隨後日軍大舉增兵強行登陸，國軍亦源源不絕投入中央軍及各地方軍系，演變為極其慘烈的消耗戰。兩軍在羅店、大場及蘊藻濱等要地血戰近三個月，國軍傷亡慘重。11月5日，日軍第十軍於金山衛登陸切斷國軍後路，國軍於11月8日全線撤退，但因組織失序演變成潰敗，最終上海淪陷。此役國軍精銳折損過半，並直接導致南京失守與大屠殺悲劇；但戰略上成功吸引日軍主力轉向華東，將敵軍進攻軸線扭轉為沿長江西進，並為沿海物資與工業向西南後方撤退爭取了寶貴時間，奠定了長期持久抗戰的格局。