Original Japanese WWII Hand-Painted Silk Good Luck Flag with Lots of Writing - 26 x 36”
-
Original Item. Only One Available. This is a tremendous example of a Japanese Good Luck flag, with the names of dozens of Japanese friends and family of the departing soldier. The majority of writing appears to be signatures that are much more difficult to decipher than words or phrases.
The flag measures roughly 26 x 36”, and has been folded several times over the years, The two small leather tabs are still intact but are very worn and fragile. There are several smallish holes across the flag, none of which take away from the beauty of the flag itself. 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. Flag is in very good condition and is the real deal.
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 for further research and 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 product is available for international shipping.
- Eligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle
We Buy Military Antiques
Our team expert buyers travels the world to pay fair prices for entire estate collections to singular items.
START SELLING TODAY
