Original Item: Only One Available. Just purchased from a large military auction. This hand painted cloth flag is marked though it is difficult to read/translate due to most of it being in “grass writing”. Sosho, or 'grass style', is a cursive style of Japanese calligraphy that is thought to reflect wind blowing over grass. Sosho is the most abstract of the three approaches and is, therefore, the most difficult to read and understand, as the strokes are made without lifting the pen/brush. We can however tell that the large Kanji around the central "sun" are not the usual ones seen on good luck flags, which really makes this a great transcription & translation opportunity.

The flag measures approximately 19” x 26”, and is made of what appears to be light weight cotton canvas, with the red "sun" dyed into the middle. The corners have simple hanging straps, which are still tied together. Overall the flag is in good condition with some tearing present and is the real deal: a genuine USGI "bring back"!

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.