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An extraordinary piece of Japanese post-war brewing history: an authentic, original 1950s Nippon Beer double-sided porcelain enamel advertising sign.
Following the 1949 dissolution of Dai-Nippon Beer Co. under post-war occupation directives, Nippon Breweries retained the iconic Hokkaido Red Star (Akaboshi) emblem but marketed under the "Nippon Beer" trademark from 1949 until reintroducing the Sapporo brand name in 1957. Authentic signage from this narrow 8-year production window is seldom seen outside specialized museum collections or legacy Japanese izakayas.
Design: Bold vertical oval profile featuring
deep cobalt blue lettering reading "NIPPON BEER" on the right and Japanese katakana on the left, centered around the vibrant red Kaitakushi star.
Construction: Heavy-gauge stamped steel coated in thick, glossy vitreous porcelain enamel, framed by an original protective perimeter steel band with an integrated wire hanging bail.
Dimensions: Measures approximately 18¼ inches tall by 13½ inches wide across the center axis.
Condition Breakdown:
Porcelain & Enamel Gloss: Retains excellent, deep factory gloss and vibrant color saturation across the white field, red star, and cobalt blue lettering on both sides. No dulling or sun fade.
Center Star Wear: Both sides exhibit classic authentic porcelain chips/pop-outs with dark iron oxidation directly on the red star:
Side 1: Three notable chipped spots (upper-right point, dead center, and bottom-left lower ray).
Side 2: Two chipped spots (center and lower-left point) along with faint surface contact marks.
Outer Metal Rim / Channel: The sign retains its original wraparound metal retaining rim. There is an approximate ½-inch gap at the top seam where the band edges meet, exposing the underlying rim edge with minor surface rust.
Perimeter & Field: Very clean perimeter with only minimal scattered fleabites and pinhead chips near the inner edge of the channel. Hangs straight from its sturdy, original twisted wire bail.
