Original Item: One-Of-A-Kind. This is an exceptionally large original Japanese WWII shussei nobori, or military send-off banner, measuring approximately 125 ¼ inches long by 25 ½ inches wide. It retains a dramatic patriotic design at the top consisting of the Japanese national flag and Rising Sun flag flanking an image of the Order of the Golden Kite, together with large vertical inscriptions identifying the occasion, military branch or assignment, recipient, and presenting group. The banner remains suspended from its original-style brass or copper-colored crossbar measuring approximately 29 ¾ inches long, with decorative fringe knots at each end.

Japanese send-off banners were displayed when men entered military service or departed for the front. Japanese municipal and museum collections document these shussei nobori as banners raised by relatives, neighbors, and local organizations to celebrate a recruit’s entry into service and to wish him success and safety. Surviving examples vary greatly in size, with some exceeding two meters in length.

This is an excellent silk/rayon example, approximately 125 ¼” in length with a 25 ½” width. The brass/copper pole that it is hung from is 29 ¾” long. The top of the flag depicts the national flag and rising sun flag with an Order of the Golden Kite between them with great color.

The flag reads at the top “Congratulations on entering the military”, and below it translates to the unit, “Army Anti-Aircraft Artillery”. Below this is the name, reading “To Mr. Komao Sakaisoto”. The bottom red and black characters read “Presented by all relatives”.

The pole has a fringe knot on each end which are in good shape. This example retains the color well and would look great framed or hung on the wall.

These made for a most impressive display and signified to everyone that a particular man was being celebrated for his induction into the military. Kanji characters on the nobori normally gave the name of the man going into the military, as well as the name of the person or organization sponsoring the banner. The artwork on each shussei nobori was generally chosen by the person purchasing the banner from a banner or flag store. Once selected, the name characters were painted onto the material by the shop owner.

This example is particularly notable for the combination of its exceptional 125 ¼-inch length, anti-aircraft artillery association, named recipient, family dedication, national and Rising Sun flags, prominent Golden Kite imagery, and surviving display crossbar with fringe knots. The scale and completeness of the piece make it a strong surviving example of the public send-off culture surrounding Imperial Japanese Army service during WWII.