Medals of the Emporer Announcement.

I’m thrilled to announce that my new book, Medals of the Emperor, is officially under contract with Headstamp Publishing! Headstamp published my first book, Tobacco of the Emperor, and they were great to work with. Headstamp books are the highest quality books on the market, and they are absolute works of art in themselves.Medals of the Emperor will provide the most comprehensive and detailed study of Japanese military medals, orders, and awards to date.

Medals of the Emperor explores their origins, symbolism, and place in history. The book builds upon the work of previous researchers like James Peterson, Nick Komiya, Richard Catalano, and others.It has long been my goal to create a comprehensive resource for collectors, historians, and enthusiasts, and I’m excited to see this project moving forward. So far, the manuscript is 85,000 words and covers all of the major topics you would expect; Imperial orders, all the war medals, and all of the commemorative medals. Other important topics such as wound badges and Japanese Red Cross awards are also explored in depth. All of this is covered by the beautiful high-resolution color photography of Mr. James Rupley of Headstamp Publishing.

New topics that are not covered previous works are also explored, such as medal and order production, key figures, background history of the Japan mint, as well as explanations of the Japanese myths and legends that many of these awards are based upon.Tentatively, publication is planned for Fall 2026, and I’ll be sharing updates, sneak peeks, and behind-the-scenes details along the way.

You can follow the progress here, and on Instagram @patrickianphillips.

Thank you all for your continued support—I can’t wait to share this journey with you!