Japanese Flag with Kanji

[Panzer 3]

Hi,
for some reason the pic came out twice, but hope you like the flag.
Dave.

[Stu W]

I think you need to take a long hard look at that flag. There are three things that would cause me to pass it by.

First, condition. Too good to be true unless a rare exception. Add to that the extremely small odds of a Lt. Gen signing a yosegaki hinomaru. Last, but not least, the beginning and end points of the kanji are uniform and blunt. Often signs that they were made by a marker rather than a brush.

Add those concerns together and it leads me to think it may well be a period flag that has been recently enhanced.

Could I be incorrect? Certainly, but perhaps further analysis is in order.

Regards,
Stu

[ghp95134]

...Last, but not least, the beginning and end points of the kanji are uniform and blunt. Often signs that they were made by a marker rather than a brush.

Hi Stu,

My impression is that it was done with a brush; I could be wrong... had to rotate the photo 90º right and blow it up a bit. Let's wait for Taka-san or someone who has a better grasp of the language than I.

--Guy

[Shadwellarmy]

Thanks for the help mates, I've asked the seller for better photos of the kanji now.

Cheers, Mads

[Stu W]

Hello Guy,

Good to have you on this one my friend. I think it needs a thorough analysis. Taka-san will no doubt be able to offer valuable input and I hope it proves to be authentic.

Although I didn't mention it above I'm also concerned with the dimensions of the flag. I'm aware, as I have a couple that size in my own collection, that yosegaki hinomaru can be large but that's a whopper compared to the vast majority. The lack of signatures from well wishes makes me wonder what the purpose of this flag was, assuming for the moment that it is authentic.

For the general info of those just learning about flags the yosegaki hinomaru (Good Luck flag) were often made from silk but can also be found in cotton and Rayon. Traditional rayed battle flags are more often found in cotton in my experience. Particularly the large sizes.

I'll take this opportunity to once again give Dr. Mike Bortner a plug. He's written the reference work entitled Imperial Japanese Good Luck Flags and 1000 Stitch Belts. It's the current gold standard in the field and makes for a great read even if you don't collect flags. Here is a link to his site.


Get History Today - Home

Regards,
Stu

[SHINDENKAI]

Hi Mads,

I think the far left writings are 国威宜揚 (Koku-I Sen-yōu) - To raise the national prestige―enhance the glory of the nation.

However the last word is 楊 (yōu) which is the same pronunciation as 揚.

Also, I tried to read the small words but with not much success, but when I first looked at it seem the first one is 海軍 (Kai-gunn) - Navy.

Here is my Yosegaki Flag that was written by IJN Admiral Nobumasa Suetsugu 末次信正. For reference: Suetsugu Nobumasa







From right to left wrote:

為石濱美津？君　(I Ishihama Mitsu? Kun) - For Ishihama Mitsu? (Can't figure out his final character)

盡忠報国 (Jinchuuhoukoku) - Loyalty and Patriotism

海軍大将末次信正　(Kaigun Taishou Suetsugu 　
Nobumasa) - Written by Admiral Nobumasa Suetsugu

Hope it helps,

Regards,
Taka

[Wagriff]

Hi
I thought i would show my flag to you this came from one of the Islands but is very delicate and stained with blood. Im not morbid but this is how it came to me, ibrought it from a vet in the States.
Dave.Attachment 559971Attachment 559971

I don't think I've ever seen one before with such a huge sun disk! Impressive!

[Stu W]

Here is a link to a web site where you can find General Officer info, including the names of many Japanese Generals.

Generals of World War II

Regards,
Stu

[Wagriff]

Admiral Nobumasa Suetsugu was a Horrendously Important man. He was a Very High Admiral who, at one time, was Commander-In-Chief of Japan's Combined Naval Fleets. He was a key strategist and helped develop Japan's Submarine Warfare strategy and on and on it reads..... He died on December 30 of 1944 of a heart ailment. A signed flag by Him would be a Very coveted piece in Anyone's collection for sure. $100 ?? If you don't buy it...I will! lol

[ghp95134]

Taka-san,

Thank you very much for the "Kaigun" clarification. Based on that information, I went to this SITE and searched graduation class by class to see if I could find a name composed of five kanji. I checked both Tai-sho and Chu-jou [Vice and Rear Admirals].

I ignored the easy names like 大森 仙太郎 which are relatively easy to recognize.

I concentrated on names that began with because the first kanji looks to ME to be that radical.

I was looking for names with a balance like these [note! I do NOT think any of these are the correct name -- just illustrative]:
近藤 泰一郎
真野 巌次郎
草鹿 龍之介

Taka-san, perhaps you could peruse the above IJN site and double-check the names? It only took me an hour -- I'll bet it takes you less time.

Cheers!!
--Guy (￣Ｏ￣)(－.－)(＿ ＿).ｚＺ