Translation on personal flag

[TheGoon]

Hi all, I just picked up this personal flag and was wondering if anyone could help me out on the translations. Any help is appreciated! Thanks.

Regards, Kyle.

[Nick Komiya]

I am not fully comfortable with this flag, as content-wise it could have been written yesterday for some kind of photo contest. It was not presented to anyone and the slogan on top says "Victory is Ours", an ubiquitous slogan in Japan today for sports events, university entrance exam cramming, etc.

The only content that suggests wartime is one that says "Death-defying Effort", but that is a bit weak to make it a war-time piece.

The signers are members of the Saga Prefecture Kohyu Club. Kohyu is written "friend of light", so it is likely a club of photo enthusiasts (which is why they might have done this after entering their photos in some contest).

Also, everyone having such a similar handwriting, suggesting their lack of experience with a brush is somewhat unsettling.

In its favor as a war-time or early postwar piece is the right to left writing direction.

I don't think it's a fake, because there is so little sign that there's a war going on (fakers will write something more sexy), but it could very well be for an early postwar photo contest application.

[TheGoon]

Thank you very much Nick, I suppose I should of posted it here first but me thinking collectors guild was a pretty decent site I didn’t think they would be wrong on it being a “soldiers personal flag”, I should be able to refund my money on it.

[Nick Komiya]

Peter is unfortunately only an expert on German stuff and Japanese is not his strong point.

[TheGoon]

I’m pretty new to the Japanese side of things myself, I can’t seem to find much dealers selling these flags.