Original Item: Only One Available. This is a an original Japanese WWII Senninbari (千人針), commonly known as a “Thousand-Stitch Belt” or “Thousand-Person-Stitch Belt,” featuring an elaborate tiger design together with both the Japanese Rising Sun and Hinomaru flags. The light-colored cloth is decorated throughout in red, with the large central tiger formed primarily from hundreds of individual raised knots or stitches laid out over a printed design. The tiger's head and claws are additionally outlined in red, producing a particularly striking example of this traditional Japanese wartime good luck talisman.

Senninbari were traditionally given to Japanese servicemen prior to their departure for military service, intended to provide courage, protection, good fortune, and a safe return home. The standard form consisted of a cloth sash adorned with approximately one thousand stitches or knots, each typically contributed by women from the serviceman’s family or local community. While many examples feature simple rows of red stitching, more elaborate pictorial versions incorporating patriotic imagery were also produced during the Second World War. Some surviving examples, including this one, were made using pre-printed templates to guide the placement of the individual stitches.

At one end is a printed Japanese Rising Sun flag accompanied by the characters:

長
久

At the opposite end is a Hinomaru, the familiar red sun disc of the Japanese national flag, accompanied by:

武
運

Taken together, the four characters form:

武運長久

Buun Chōkyū

This traditional wartime expression may be translated as “May your military fortunes be long lasting” or, more naturally, “May your military fortune endure.” The phrase is frequently encountered on Japanese WWII good luck flags and related personal items presented to departing servicemen.

The Senninbari shows heavy age and significant wear from use and storage. The once-light-colored fabric is now largely stained and discolored throughout, with widespread toning and areas where the red ink has bled into the surrounding cloth. Despite this, the main design elements remain visible. The tiger, both flags, and all four large kanji characters can still be clearly identified, and the raised stitched knots continue to provide strong texture and depth to the overall composition.