Original Item. Only One Available. This is a very interesting example of a Japanese Good Luck flag, which is handmade and has been painted with a depiction of a Japanese soldier pointing his rifle at depictions of Winston Churchill and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. There are some phrases at the top, one which appears to be in Urdu, roughly translating to “The compassionate one is the one who is oppressed”.

The flag measures 32 ¼ x 36 ¼” and has a hand-stitched separate red meatball in the center. The depiction of the soldier is very detailed, and he even has a rifle flag attached at the end of his rifle, with the meatball also being a separate piece of fabric stitched on, a great detail. He is also wearing Jika-Tabi shoes which have a split-toe in the center.

The text under the Urdu is likely a name or location, but we could not get a solid translation from it. This and the “Urdu” requires a good bit of further research! There are tie strings at two corners.

The flag is likely cotton and is handmade. The flag is in great condition and is the real deal. The writing is still mostly legible, and this would make a fine display piece for a wall or glass table. These are getting harder and harder to find in any condition.

Ready to display!

The Good Luck Flag, known as hinomaru yosegaki (日の丸 寄せ書き) 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.