The topic of Kamikaze Cups (Japanese Military Sake Cups) has come up over and over again in the eBay group OSAKE. There are many experts on this subject and I want potential eBay buyers to know that it is unlikely that any cup offered on eBay as a “Kamikaze” cup is as such. Currently, a subject matter expert in this field is conducting interviews in Japan for a second book on military history (this author wrote a complete and detailed history of Japanese Military Sake Cups). In his interview process (the new book is not about Sake Cups) he is asking WWII Japanese veterans about the cups. Here is a part of an e-mail I received from him which he included on the OSAKE group:

    Today I met an Army Kamikaze pilot today Yoshitaka. He was shot down during his mission and crash landed in the Philippines in Dec 1944.

   Anyways, I asked him (and the other vets) about the sake cups and he said they used ordinary, normal cups for the last mission toast. He also said they threw them on the ground to break them. But they were not special cups at all. He never heard of cups with mums on them, or getting special cups from the Emperor. He also said the '1 way fuel' thing is a myth. They went out with full tanks each time! He went out on 6 missions before even seeing a US ship but was shot down by a Grumman before he could even get close. He is the only survivor out of his squadron of 18 pilots.

Here is my response to the post:

It is more apparent than ever that the Kamikaze cups are no more than a fantasy. This important research that *** is doing is helping all of us to be more informed about the value and historical significance of the cups.

I want collectors to also know that many of these so called “Kamikaze” cups have been know as “Kamikaze” cups for a long time and some sellers just are not aware that they are not a true representation of what happened historically. Japanese Military Sake Cup collecting is a great hobby and fakes are very rare. Incorrectly identified cups are more the case when it come to these types of cups. Please join us at OSAKE to see the magnificent conversations and research we have conducted. Thanks!