GETA
[Clothing, Footwear]

Accession Number: 1971.73.173

Physical Description: Pair of geta (traditional Japanese footwear). Flat wooden sole on two raised narrow wooden platforms, one at heel and the other at ball of foot. Sole is pierced with three holes through which are threaded a V-style toe thong. Col. James C. Hughes acquired the geta while being held as a Japanese Prisoner of War during World War II. Born in Topeka, Kansas, in 1888, Hughes served in the Mexican Border Conflict, World War I, and World War II. During the latter conflict, he commanded a Philippine regiment (Filipino soldiers led by American officers), which surrendered in 1942 on the Bataan peninsula. Hughes spent the next 41 months in various Japanese P.O.W. camps. He was liberated by Russian forces at Camp Hoten, Manchuria, in 1945. Hughes died in 1964 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

History of Object: Acquired by donor's father when he was a Prisoner of War during World War II, held by Japanese on Taiwan. Col. James C. Hughes was a former Topekan, and commander of a Philippine regiment in the Battle of Bataan. Geta are a type of traditional Japanese footwear.

Date: Between 1941 and 1945

Dimensions (in cm): 4.00 (H) 12.00 (W) 23.00 (D)

Status: Cataloged

For more information, please contact our museum staff.