Original Japanese WWII Hand Painted Cloth Good Luck Flag with Lots of Signatures & Temple Stamps - USGI Battlefield Pickup Bring Back - 29 x 33”

Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This hand painted cloth flag is marked with battle quotes such as "Banzai", and "Good Luck". This example has many signatures and writing with a couple of temple stamps as well. This example is a real “Battlefield-Damaged” example, heavy tearing and holes across. This example only retains one of its two leather tabs at the ends, and has a large stitching repair in the center. This example is a fantastic research opportunity.

It is also signed with the names of many friends and family, some radiating out from the center. The flag measures approximately 29" x 33", and is made of what appears to be rayon cloth, an early faux silk semi-synthetic material made from wood, with the red "sun" dyed into the middle. The flag is in rough battlefield pickup condition and is and is the real deal: a genuine USGI "bring back"!

There are several torn sections of the flag, so it would look best framed. This flag definitely has the appearance of being hung at a position that saw regular and constant combat with an opposing force and was then removed, probably by a GI or Marine and brought home after the war. The Temple Stamps make for a fantastic research project!

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 is completely unique and is written in old KANJI. The writings are mainly Japanese names of this soldier's family and friends with quotes and phrases.