Original Item: One-of-a-kind. Just purchased from a Pacific War collector at a military show! This hand painted silk flag has less writing than others we have seen, but it more than makes up for it with its large size and great condition. As with most good luck flags, it is marked with 久 長 運 武, which reads Bu un Chou kyu ("May your military fortunes be long lasting.") on the left hand side, written bottom to top. Above this is the character 祈, which means "Prayer", so this particular flag is praying for good luck in battle.

To the left of this is another phrase, or possibly a name, but it is in Japanese cursive, or "grass writing", which we unfortunately are not able to read.

The flag measures approximately 28" x 40", and is made of high quality sheer silk fabric, with the red "sun" dyed into the middle. Flag is in very good condition and is the real deal: a genuine USGI "bring back"! 

As expected, there is some light staining and age toning, as well as a few small holes. However overall the flag looks great, with well retained colors, and intact corner reinforcements. This would look excellent under a glass table!

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.