Japan, Occupied Manchukuo. An Order Of The Auspicious Clouds, 6Th Class

Ching Yun Chang. Instituted in 1934. In silver with red, white, yellow, blue and black enamels, mint marked "M" on the laterally-pierced suspension, the badge in the five colours of the Manchukuo national flag and thus representing the five races, designed with a yellow-enamelled center encircled by a translucent red-enameled ring, with four sets of three rays extending outward, consisting of a long white-enamelled ray flanked by two shorter yellow-enamelled rays, with a cloud in the Chinese classical style in blue enamels between each set of rays, the area between the clouds and the red ring in black enamels, the suspension illustrating an Imperial orchid crest with the petals in yellow enamels, the reverse of the badge with a single screw head in the center, with four characters on the reverse of the Imperial orchid suspension inscribed "Order of Merit Decoration", measuring 48.8 mm (w) x 76.3 mm (h) inclusive of its Imperial orchid suspension, intact enamels, contact marks on the reverse, original ribbon with hook and eye, near extremely fine.

Footnote: The "Ching Yun Chang" was established together with the higher orders by Imperial Edict on March 1, 1934. Eight classes were established for award to recipients of the 1st through 8th Orders of Merit, and is the exact equivalent of the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun. It is known as the Order of the Prosperous Clouds (also known as the Order of the Auspicious Clouds). The cloud is regarded in China as an auspicious symbol, hence the name.