Original Item. Only One Available. This is a great example of a Japanese Good Luck flag, with the names of many friends and family of the departing soldier. The largest phrase at the top reads Buun Chokyu, (May Your Military Fortune be Long Lasting). 

The flag is signed with the soldier’s name right of the top phrase, and to the right of this is a signature reading “Navy Rear Admiral, Watanabe Isaburo”. We could not find any information on this officer. The flag is signed by many Naval officers including a Lieutenant Commander and four lieutenants underneath the sun. There are some other officer’s signatures in other spots, so this flag was likely for an officer of the Imperial Japanese Navy. 

The flag measures roughly 27 ½ x 40” and retains both of the wide tie strings in two corners. There are no reinforcements on this example. The flag is in great overall condition with just some creasing and minor staining. The writing is still very clear. 

The flag is made of what appears to be rayon cloth, an early form of synthetic cloth made from wood, with the red "sun" dyed piece sewn into the middle. 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. The flag comes with a small strip of paper with the translations of the officer’s name and some other info.

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.