WWII Japanese Army Navy Soldier Military Shoe Boot Tabi

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is an excellent pair of WWII Japanese Tabi (or more properly Jikatabi) split toe shoes. These were used by the Japanese Military (both Army and Navy) all over the South Pacific and described in both Jowettâe(tm)s book on Army Equipment and Nila/Rolfeâe(tm)s book on SNLF. Shojiro Ishibashi, the founder of the major tire company Bridgestone Corporation , is credited with their innovation. The Australians referred to them as âeoesneak bootsâe since they were quiet and often used by infiltrators and on night time patrols. I have a great picture of an Aussie soldier on Komiatum Ridge in New Guinea (1943) holding up a pair and showing the unique split toe rubber sole. I canâe(tm)t tell you all t is to know about these shoes other then t are several variations and manufacturers over the entire war and they were not usually military marked or labeled. I've seen many over the years but by far most had dried out and cracked rubber. This pair is in EXCELLENT condition and came from a grouping I acquired years ago with navy equipment. These are the real McCoy with soft rubber (no cracking) and near perfect uppers. They are marked in Kanji on the soul, tabs and the inside insert. HARD TO FIND, unique wartime shoes, especially in this condition. The new owner of this item will not be disappointed, but of course I offer a 3-Day return policy read more

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