Like many people who collect good luck flags, I enjoy the examples that have art drawn on them. Artwork images make the flag much more personal, often only having meaning between the person drawing the picture and the person receiving the flag. On the other hand, flags with tigers drawn or painted on them often have a general meaning that could be understood by almost anyone viewing the picture. For instance, the tiger and the dragon represent Yin and Yang in Asian culture. The I Ching describes a Yin way and Yang way; a tiger way and a dragon way. The tiger is the Yin character, while the dragon is the Yang- they have always been enemies of one another, opposites bringing about change. The white tiger constellation in the west opposes the azure dragon constellation in the east. While they both cause change of some kind, the dragon's strength and power is more visible and outward, while the tiger's strength is more hidden. He is reserved, until the last moment before being revealed and releasing his strength in a burst of energy- in a pounce! Keeping one's intent secret or hidden until just the right moment of attack, is the tiger's strength. Various Japanese gods of war also utilized the tiger for various purposes. The 14th century samurai, Kusunoki Masashige was said to have a tiger as his personal messenger. The tiger also represented the astute and powerful hunter, a cunning opponent in the field. There were of course other admirable character traits of the tiger that the military man would have tried to emulate. These are just a few examples of how the tiger and his influence were intertwined within Japanese culture. I recently acquired a good luck flag with a tiger image drawn on it. I will post it in the next few pages for you all to see.
MichaelB
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