Original Item: One-of-a-kind. Just purchased from a Pacific War collector at a military show! This hand painted cloth flag is marked with battle quotes, usually phrases such as "Banzai", and "Good Luck". 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."). This is written bottom to top vertically in the line closest to the red "Sun" in the middle of the flag. To the right of this is the character 祈, which means "Prayer", along with other characters, so this particular flag is praying for good luck in battle. There is additional writing, which looks to be a location, however we are not able to translate it.

The flag measures approximately 30" x 42", and looks to be made of rayon, and early synthetic cloth made from wood, which somewhat resembles silk. It has a red "sun" dyed into the middle, and the flag is in very good condition. This is the real deal: a genuine USGI "bring back"!

The flag itself has some stains and small holes, as well as overall age toning. The writing is still quite legible, and this would make a fine display piece for a wall or glass table, or a translation project. The flag has leather corner reinforcements, which have dried out over the years, and the hang ties are present, but the one of the top ties is definitely quite frayed. This is definitely a flag that saw service.

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.