Good Luck Flag

[bestmsdt]

Got this today, I'm hoping it's OK and also a bit more interesting than the last one I bought!

It's pretty dark this March day in England, so photos could be better. In particular they don't catch the colour of the white silk, which is an aged, dirty look.

I can see that there are 3 slogans on this one: Certain Victory across the top, the usual Everlasting Fortunes in Battle either side of the red sun, and, the one I really like on the left, Exterminate the Americans and British!

I am hoping that there is some interesting stuff under the sun, it seems to be more than just signatures.

Cheers,

Tony

[ghp95134]

Nice flag! I'll get to it later this weekend ... sort of booked now and don't have time to scrutinize it. However, a nice motto on the left margin just jumps out begging to be read:

英米撃滅
Bei-Ei Gekimetsu
Destroy/exterminate America & England

Cheers,
-- Guy

[ghp95134]

Top:
必勝
Hisshō
Certain Victory

Right:
祝入營 Shuku Nyuei
Congratulations on your enlistment

柿崎重次君
Kakizaki Shigetsugu‐Kun
Mr. Kakizaki Shigetsugu

武運長久
Bu'un Chōkyu.
Continued luck in the fortunes of war

7:00 o'clock:
ヤマト商事社
Yamato Corporation

8:00 o'clock:
必勝
Hisshō [cursive form]
Certain Victory

About ９:00 o'clock between both sets of thick kanji:
俺が死ぬとき
三途の川で
〇を集める角力とろ
Ore ga shinu toki
Sanzu-no-kawa de
〇 wo atsumeru Sumo to ro

The above is a "change word" song and the writer borrowed from this:
俺が死んだら～三途の川によを～鬼� �集めて相撲とるよ
When I die, I'll go to the Sanzu River and collect demons and have sumo wrestling.

The kanji I cannot find might be "soul" tamashii, written in cursive:


Tamashii is slightly different than demon.

• 魂 Tamashii; soul
• 鬼 Oni; demon
• Sanzu-no-Kawa is the Japanese "River Styx" where dead sould cross over to paradise.

Left margin:
英米撃滅
Bei-Ei Gekimetsu
Destroy/exterminate America & England

Cheers,
-- Guy

[Akira Komiya]

Guy-san:
The part you partially translated reads “俺が死ぬ時　三途の川で鰐集めて 角力取る- When I die, I’ll gather the crocodiles and play sumo with them by the river Styx.”- Possibly an allusion to being sent to the southern theater? “三途の川” - Sanzu no kawa, the river leading to the three levels of hell, is the river that divides the world of the living and Hades, the underworld exactly as the river Styx in Greek mythology and even today in Buddhist funerals of certain sects where they still dress the deceased in burial shrouds, they would also hang a small pouch with six 1-mon coins from the deceased’s shoulder so he/she can pay his/her ferry charge.
Otherwise, he/she will have his/her clothes stripped at the other side of the figure called “脱衣婆- Datsuebaa, the old hag who takes your clothes”.

Kindest regards,

Akira

[bestmsdt]

Thanks for the input, Guy and Akira. If the kanji are clear, I can plod away with dictionaries, but it is slow. However, when the writing is as per the song I will fail to read them, never mind understanding the true meaning and cultural significance! Your much appreciated help makes an artefact like this flag come to life.

The possibility that the crocodile insertion could indicate that Kakizaki-san was on his way to Southern theatres is interesting.

I have to say, the 米英撃滅 slogan is what sold it to me! I guess this also dates the flag to the 1942-5 period.

The different slogans make me curious as to the order in which they would be applied. 米英撃滅 is very large, and the calligraphy is very fine. 武運長久 is also well done but slightly smaller. The ink also looks the same, so are these likely to be the same hand? The 必勝 and recipient's name are poorer calligraphy. I always have assumed that the recipient's name and the slogan along the top were the first things put on the flag. I wonder in this case if a different person then put on the other 2 big slogans, as surely these would need doing before beginning to collect signatures?

Regarding the signatures, I see quite a few from women. Just looking for 子, I see Akiko, Ichiko, Mieko and Mioko. In particular the signature top right by Tezuka Ichiko, 手塚いち子, is large, bold and fine. I wonder what these tell us about the signatories for Kakizaki-san?

Cheers,
Tony

[ghp95134]

鰐 wani??? How cool!! Thanks Akira-san.

-- Guy

[Akira Komiya]

Besides the women with their names ending in “子”, literally child, there are “山本さかゑ - Sakae Yamamoto” and “◯◯かなほ - illegible surname Kanaho” at the 4 o’clock position on the 3rd picture, as well as “橋本静江 - Shizue Hashimoto” and “小山和江 - Kazue Koyama (or Oyama)).
Since there are 2 eye clinics, “後藤眼科 - Goto Eye Clinic” and “上野眼科 - Ueno Eye Clinic, I wonder if the person being sent off was an employee of a company supplying goods to eye clinics and most of those signing the flags were his colleagues? We still have the custom of giving “寄せ書き - Yosegaki” to departing colleagues, graduating seniors, etc., although we no longer sign flags with brushes but on a square cardboard sheet with felt tipped pens. Usually the organizer would ask a colleague known for his good penmanship to write the name of the person being sent off as well as the main message as well as reserve a space for the message of the most prominent or senior signer, and then ask the other members to sign in the available spaces in a round robin fashion. I believe what happened here is that the organizer put down the “祝入営” and Mr. Kakizaki’s name in a somewhat modest manner before turning it over to someone else who outdonned his calligraphy, both in size and skill.

[bestmsdt]

Thank you very much for the detailed response, Akira, and spotting the 2 eye clinics and more women!

Yes, I can see it now. Having got a nice silk flag, the organizer put on the recipient's name and 'Certain Victory' slogan, then stepped back and thought, "Oh dear, that looks rubbish!". It was then handed over to the talented calligrapher to salvage the situation, and he went for the over-size 'Exterminate the Americans and British' to beautify the composition.

On a different note, I wonder if you would be so kind as to look at a post I put up last year about a send-off and funeral banner. Your input regarding how the funeral banner could have been used would be most welcome.

Cheers,
Tony