Original Imperial Japanese Pilot’s Small Good Luck Flag with Name & Signatures and Page of Translations - 9 x 14”

Original Item. Only One Available. This is a great example of a Japanese Good Luck flag, with the names of many Japanese friends and family of the departing soldier. From the inscriptions, we believe this to be a Pilot’s flag. Some of the sayings include “Soar to the Sky for the Big Battle”.

The flag is very small, measuring 9 x 14”, correct for someone like a pilot who would have had to limit the items brought on board with him. The flag is in good condition and only has the heavy fold marks. Both corner reinforcements are retained, appearing to be paper.

There is a name inscribed, Akiyama, Teruyoshi, likely the name of the pilot. Some of the other inscriptions include “Go to Big Sky” and “Sure Victory”.

The flag is made of what appears to be rayon cloth, an early form of synthetic cloth made from wood, with the red "sun" dyed piece sewn into the middle. The flag is in good condition and is the real deal. The writing is still mostly legible, and this would make a fine display piece for a wall or glass table. These are getting harder and harder to find in any condition.

Ready to display!

The Good Luck Flag, known as hinomaru yosegaki (日の丸 寄せ書き) in the Japanese language, was a traditional gift for Japanese servicemen deployed during the military campaigns of the Empire of Japan, though most notably during World War II. The flag given to a soldier was a national flag signed by friends and family, often with short messages wishing the soldier victory, safety, and good luck.

The Japanese call their country's flag hinomaru, which translates literally to "sun-round", referencing the red circle on a white field. When the hinomaru was signed, the Japanese characters were usually written vertically, and radiated outward from the edge of the red circle. This practice is referenced in the second term, yosegaki, meaning "sideways-writing". The phrase hinomaru-yosegaki can be interpreted as "To write sideways around the red sun", describing the appearance of the signed flag. This particular example completely unique is written in old KANJI the writing are mainly Japanese names of this soldier's family and friends with quotes and phrases.