Original Item. Only One Available. This is a great example of a Japanese Good Luck flag, with the names of dozens of Japanese friends and family of the departing soldier. There are also some well wishes such as Congratulatory Expedition and Preservation of Life.

The largest signature appears to read Mr. Shoji Yokoyama, likely the solider who owned the flag. There are dozens of signatures but as our translation system is not exact when it comes to Japanese, we cannot offer exact translations. This flag will make for an exciting research project for someone with the time.

The flag measures 27 x 33” and is missing both of its original corner reinforcements, along with the tie strings. They were likely torn away long ago. The flag is in good overall condition and only has the basic fold marks with some staining across the flag as shown. There is some tearing where the corner reinforcements used to be.

The flag is made of what appears to be rayon cloth, an early form of synthetic cloth made from wood, with the red "sun" dyed piece sewn into the middle. The flag is in good condition and is the real deal. The writing is still mostly legible, and this would make a fine display piece for a wall or glass table. These are getting harder and harder to find in any condition.

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.