Original Item: One-of-a-kind. Just purchased from a Pacific War collector at a military show! Unlike many "Good Luck" flags we see, this one is just signed with a single phrase, one that we have not seen on one of these flags before. The left side reads 火の 玉 だ, which translates roughly to "fireball", while on the right there is 進 め, which translates to "advance" or "Charge". The two middle characters translate to "everyone", though we were not able to identify the the bottom kanji. This flag basically states "Everyone Charge Like Fireballs", definitely an exhortation of glory in battle.

The flag measures a quite small 10 1/2" x 13 1/2", and is made of sturdy light canvas cloth, with the red "sun" dyed into the middle. Flag is in very good condition and is the real deal: a genuine USGI "bring back"!

The flag itself is in great shape, and is fully legible. There is very little age toning or damage, just a few small stains. The sturdy leather corner reinforcements are still present, along with the original hanger ties.

Ready to display!

The Good Luck Flag, known ashinomaru 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.