Original Item: Only One Available. Just purchased from a large military auction! We received this wonderful named "Good Luck" flag along with a partial translation, something we don't see very often. It does look to have been water stained on the bottom right corner, which unfortunately also stained the translation info, but it is still legible. The line directly to the left of the red "sun" is the name of the recipient, ? ? 太 郎 君, read as Tarou-Kun, or Mr Tarou (we cannot read the surname), along with a message of congratulations for joining the army. The second line to the left of the sun reads (bottom to top) 久 長 運 武, which is read as Bu un Chou kyu, or "may your military fortunes be long lasting." This is a standard phrase on many good luck flags.

Over the sun is a message to "Proclaim / Fulfill the desires of the Emperor", and to the right of the sun is the phrase 八 紘 壱 宇, read as "hakkō iu" or "eight crown cords, one roof". This utilizes some more formal kanji, and is a reference to the Japanese political slogan meaning the divine right of the Empire of Japan to "unify the eight corners of the world." The flag is written using semi-cursive gyōsho (行書), a more flowing script which while not as hard to read as sōsho (草書 - cursive), is still difficult to read, so we cannot make out all of the kanji. There is also a "temple stamp" in the lower left portion of the flag, which only a minority of the flags we see have.

The flag measures approximately 26" x 35", and is made of what what looks to be rayon, and early semi-synthetic cloth made using wood fibers, with the red "sun" dyed into the middle. Overall the flag is in very good condition and is the real deal: a genuine US GI "bring back"!

The writing is still clearly legible, and this would make a fine display piece for a wall or glass table. The flag still has the original corner ties fully intact, along with brown leather corner reinforcements.

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.