Original Japanese WWII Type 90 Army Helmet with Complete Liner and Period-Applied Helmet Cover - Incredibly Scarce

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a wonderful example of the classic Japanese Type 90 Tetsubo (鉄帽 - "steel cap") army helmet, also colloquially called the tetsukabuto ( 鉄 冑 "steel helmet") by Japanese troops. This example is fitted with an original Army helmet cover in great service-worn condition. This is the first covered example we have offered, making this a rare offering. 

This example is not fitted with a metal star to the front, as it was almost certainly removed by the soldier upon fitting the cover to the helmet. The cover is khaki-colored, water-resistant cloth comprised of six machine sewn pieces, meeting at the apex of the crown and gathered along their tunnel-looped base by an adjustable tie string. A yellow wool, five-pointed IJA star and round wool backing is machine sewn to the front of the cover. The cover shows great honest service wear with some tearing along the edge of the helmet, to be expected from age and wear. We have not removed the cover to check for markings due to its fragility.

The helmet retains the three pad leather liner, but it is partially disconnected from the rear mount, so the liner is sagging. The pillows are still present in two of the three pads. The original tie down chinstrap is fully retained with heavy wear and staining from use and age. 

The Kanji character 小 for Small is stamped into the rear metal rim and the white painting of the character is also visible. Small examples are much more difficult to find. There is also an S in a Diamond indicating Kobe Steel.

This is an outstanding example of one of the most difficult WWII helmets to find, a Japanese Type 90 with its original canvas helmet cover. We likely won’t see another like it for years. Comes ready for further research and display!

The Japanese Type 90 Helmet
The Imperial Japanese Army was the official ground based armed force of Imperial Japan from 1871 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of War, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor of Japan as supreme commander of the army and the navy. Later an Inspectorate General of Military (Army) Aviation, became the third agency with oversight over the army.

During wartime or national emergencies, the nominal command functions of the emperor would be centralized in an Imperial General Headquarters (IGHQ), an ad-hoc body consisting of the chief and vice chief of the Army General Staff, the minister of war, the chief and vice chief of the Naval General Staff, the inspector general of military aviation, and the inspector general of military training.

The Japanese Tetsubo, also colloquially called the tetsukabuto ("steel helmet") by troops, was a mainstay of the Imperial Japanese Army from its creation in 1932. Its construction from inferior chrome-molybdenum steel limited its ability to protect the wearer from gunfire or shrapnel.