Early WWII Japanese Army EM/NCO Canteen With Leather Shoulder Strap

The canteen has a broken leather stopper retention strap with metal buckles, a system that was later replaced with a fabric cord retention strap as a measure to conserve strategic resources. The stopper is a cork with an aluminum cap, later replaced by a wood stopper, again as a conservation measure. Interestingly, this example has a leather shoulder strap rather than the usual fabric strap. The exterior of the canteen had painted kanji that was later scratched over, probably reflecting a change in ownership of the canteen.The fabric harness shows wear. The canteen is complete, showing actual use in the field, but shows a few small dents.