Original Item: One-of-a-kind. Purchased directly from a collector. This hand painted cloth flag is marked with multiple phrases with battle quotes such as "Good Luck" and "Bravery", and is signed with the names of many friends and family. The flag measures approximately 37" x 26", and is made of what appears to be standard rayon cloth, and early partial synthetic cloth made from wood, with the red sun dyed onto the center. Flag is in very good condition and is the real deal: a genuine USGI "bring back"!
The flag itself has a bit of light staining in some areas, but is still mostly white with a very vibrant red sun in the center. It is a bit wrinkled from decades of storage, but if displayed these should quickly disappear. The writing is still quite legible, and this would make a fine display piece for a wall or glass table. The corner hanging ties are still intact, complete with the gold-colored pressed paper corner reinforcements. This is definitely a choice example, ready to add to your collection!
The Good Luck Flag, known as hinomaru yosegaki in the Japanese language, was a traditional gift for Japanese servicemen deployed during the military campaigns of the Empire of Japan, though most notably during World War II. The flag given to a soldier was a national flag signed by friends and family, often with short messages wishing the soldier victory, safety, and good luck.
The Japanese call their country's flag hinomaru, which translates literally to "sun-round", referencing the red circle on a white field. When the hinomaru was signed, the Japanese characters were usually written vertically, and radiated outward from the edge of the red circle. This practice is referenced in the second term, yosegaki, meaning "sideways-writing". The phrase hinomaru-yosegaki can be interpreted as "To write sideways around the red sun", describing the appearance of the signed flag. This particular example completely unique is written in old KANJI the writing are mainly Japanese names of this soldier's family and friends with quotes and phrases.
