Original Item: One-of-a-kind. Original Item: One-of-a-kind. Just purchased from a large military auction. This hand painted cloth flag is marked with battle quotes such as "Banzai", and "Good Luck for Bravery". As with many good luck flags, this flag is marked 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.") This can be found on the middle left grouping, third line from the "left".

The writing on the flag is in various different styles, often radiating out from the center, so this was definitely done by many people. It is most likely signed with the names of many friends and family, along with messages. Some of the writing is in semi-cursive gyōsho (行書), and other parts are in the very flowing sōsho (草書 - cursive) style, which is the most stylized of all types of Japanese calligraphy. This unfortunately makes some parts of it quite hard to read.

The flag measures approximately 27”x 33”, and is made of what appears to be linen or cotton fabric, with the red "sun" dyed into the middle. Overall the flag is in good condition and is the real deal: a genuine USGI "bring back"!

The flag does show overall age toning, so the white areas are now closer to beige, and there are stains, holes, and other signs of use. This is definitely not a good luck flag that spent the war folded up at home. The writing is still clearly legible, and this would make a fine display piece for a wall or glass table, or even a translation project. The flag still retains both corner reinforcements and the corner ties.

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.