Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This hand painted silk flag has less writing than others we have seen, but it more than makes up for it with its large size and having been captured and signed by American soldiers. As with many good luck flags, the flag is marked (second line from the right) with the Japanese phrase 久 長 運 武 祈, which reads Bu un Chou kyu Inoru ("A prayer that your military fortunes be long lasting.") There are lots of other kanji present, making this a prime candidate for a translation project.

This great piece is also signed very faintly by two American soldiers, the first an Officer, a Lieutenant in a 3rd Battalion, 1st… There unfortunately isn’t enough to go off of to research the individual, but with time he could possibly be figured out.

The second name is Sergeant Julius H. McG… 4151st Quartermaster Depot Company, from San Francisco, California. This name is almost certainly researchable.

The flag is made of high quality rayon style fabric, with the red "sun" sewn into the middle. Flag is in very good condition and is the real deal: a genuine USGI bring back! This is one of the most service-worn examples we have seen, with heavy staining across the flag, but one that was definitely taken off of a Japanese soldier in the field, making this a fantastic example that would do very well with some proper framing. The original leather tabs at the ends are absent, which makes sense given its condition.

This example comes more than ready for further research and 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.