Good luck! There are a few forum members who speak/ read Japanese. I'm sure they'll be along soon. Keep in mind that we have forum members from around the world, so they may not be currently awake or on their computers.
Good luck! There are a few forum members who speak/ read Japanese. I'm sure they'll be along soon. Keep in mind that we have forum members from around the world, so they may not be currently awake or on their computers.
As Joe has said, others will be along that will tell you if this is just a "sexied" up flag or if it is actually japanese. regardless enjoy it for what it is, both options represent a part of history.
JosePHC & GIZMO8G
Gizmo's flag must have been made by the SAME person as JosePHC's! From what I see, the "handwriting" is the same (good stroke order, maybe someone who practiced Japanese?) well, better "grass writing" than I could ever do. AND ... and .... THE "CHOP" looks to be the exact SAME.
In both flags, there are kanji that are correct and well-formed/balanced -- at least to my eye. A native speaker/writer can give a better perspective.
HOWEVER -- I do think these are made to sell to GIs. Again, many of the kanji are correctly written, but I can't read any names or slogans. For instance, in Jose's photo #1 at the 1:00 o'clock position are three words: 有信和. Now, these are correctly spelled ... but for the life of me, I don't understand
有 【ゆう】 (n) (1) existence; (n,n-pref) (2) possession; having; (3) (abbr) (See 有限会社) limited company;
信 【しん】 (adv,n) (1) honesty; fidelity; (2) trust; reliance; (3) (religious) faith; (ctr) (4) counter for received messages
和(P); 倭 【わ】 (n) (1) sum; (2) harmony; peace; (n,n-pref,adj-no) (3) Japan; Japanese-style;
There is a limited company called Shinwa (Ltd) (有) 信和 ... in this case (有) means "(Ltd)"; and without the parentheses, 有 could be a girl's name Nao .... if her famly name is Shinwa; however, the naming convention is backward: it would be Shinwa Nao. BUT ... I do NOT think there is such a family name as Shinwa. A well-known real estate company, yes .... family name? I do not think so.
But, my un-schooled opinion is that this is a Seabee Special. Well-done, but a Seabee Special none-the-less.
--Guy
Awesome Guy, your help with the kanji is greatly appreciated by all.
I believe that it's a SeaBee or other such fake. Legitimate kanji combinations and the usual slogans are not to be found and the hanko (stamps) are not as they should be either in my view.
Regards,
Stu
Honestly, I don't know what and how to response to this one.
All I can say that this flag wasn't written by the Japanese military. The words don't make sense at all. I can see at lest 2 person wrote this flag, the one in N,E,S,W look dirty, while other ones are better looking.
It's kind of sad to see these so called "SeaBee Special" flags, maybe it's just me.
Probably many (Japanese) will say "Nani Kore" (何コレ?)- What is this ? when they first saw the flag.
Regards,
Taka
Interesting. I reviewed the 38th division book I got with the flag and found the serviceman's name in the roster. 152nd infantry reg company I. there were also some names in that company and another with blue pen checks next to them. I searched these names through the wwii memorial page and findagrave and at least two found had bronze star or purple heart on their gravestones so the serviceman and his friends were most likely combat personnel. I dont know why the flag wouldnt be original war booty from a japanese soldier but it is what it is. Strange.
Hi Joseph,
Not sure if you're new to collecting, but a popular montra is: "Buy the item not the story."
Unless there's photographic evidence of the vet pulling the flag off the body of a fallen Japanese soldier, there's no real way to know exactly how he got it. Combatants had a lot of down time... Maybe he made the flag himself while resting in the rear. Maybe he bought or traded for it. Regardless, it's a cool piece. Nothing to be ashamed of... It is what it is.
My "fake" flag is displayed prominently in my collection:
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