Original Item: One-of-a-kind. Just purchased from a Pacific War collector at a military show! This is a real USGI bring back "good luck" flag from Japan, captured during WWII. This example is marked with phrases such as "good luck" and "for bravery". It also has four small oval "temple stamps" on either side of the edge of the flag, and also next to the red "sun" in the middle. These stamps are only seen on a minority of these flags, and definitely add to the appeal.

Unlike most that we see, the right side is actually marked with a date! It is written in the standard form indicating years into the current emperor's reign: 昭 和 十 九 年 三 月 十 三 日. This would be read: SHOWA (current reigning emperor) Juu-Kyu Nen (19th year of reign - 1944) San-Gatsu (3rd Month - March) Juu-san-nichi (13th day).

Aside from this there is other writing radiating out from the "sun" in the center, which are usually names of friends and family. We can see several different styles of writing, so these were definitely added by multiple different people. The writing is also arranged in an "X" pattern, with 4 smaller groupings surrounding the sun. 3 of these are the kanji;久 長 運 武, which reads Bu un Chou kyu ("May your military fortunes be long lasting.") This flag would make an excellent translation project!

The flag measures approximately 26" x 29", and is made of what feels like rayon fabric, an early synthetic fabric made from wood, with the red "sun" dyed into the middle. Flag is in very good condition and is the real deal: a genuine USGI "bring back"!

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.