Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This lovely Japanese "Good Luck" flag is made cotton, has leather corner tabs on the hang side, tie strings, and is hand painted with multiple signatures and phrases in Japanese. It is in very good gently aged condition, and measures approximately 29 x 34 inches. It has the typical red "Sun" dyed into the middle, and really is a great example.

This is the real deal, a genuine USGI bring back! The most notable aspect of the flag is that it has been TRANSLATED and comes complete with a three page document which identifies and translates many of the Kanji phrases on the flag. The owner's family name was Inomata, though unfortunately the first name cannot be entirely read. Some notable translated phrases include:

-  祈 武 運 長 久 - Bu un Chou kyu ("May your military fortunes be long lasting.") This is one of the standard phrases seen on good luck flags.

- Spirit of Loyalty to the Nation with Patriotism.

- Indomitable perseverance.

- Power of Asian Development.

- Win and Return.

- Human bullet.

- Even though there are obstacles like the thickly wooded Mt. Tsukuba, the sword that one strikes is the one sword of truth.

More than 25 phrases and names have been translated! Included with this flag is a 3 page document with all translations and a translation map of the flag itself. Amazing!

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.