Original Item: One-of-a-kind. This silk flag is hand painted with multiple phrases which translate to “Good luck for bravery" and "Keep Fighting" with battle quotes, plus the names of friends and family. The flag measures approximately 31” x 28”, and is made from Rayon, and early synthetic cloth made from wood. There are other markings on it in English, the place the flag was captured from, WAKAYAMA, JAPAN, and the soldier's name, LES ACKER.

Flag shows slight damage on two corners and minor staining, but this is the real deal: a genuine USGI "bring back"!

The Good Luck Flag, known ashinomaru 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.