Original Item: Only One Available. Just purchased from a large military auction! We received this wonderful named "Good Luck" flag along with a translation of most of the writing, something we don't see very often. The line directly across the top has the Kanji characters 久 長 運 武 君 久 義 平 柳 祈, which is written right to left, correct for Japanese writing. It reads "Inoru Yanagidaira Akihisa-Kun Bu un Chou kyu", or "Prayers for Mr. Akihisa Yanagidaira's military fortunes be long lasting." This is a variation on the standard phrase often seen on these good luck flags.

The line all the way to the right written top to bottom indicates that it was made and given to Yanagidaira by the 上塲澤女子青年會, or "Jobazawa / Kamibusawa Women's Patriotic Youth Association", one of many of similar organizations during the WWII period. All the way to the left it is signed by the Veteran's association of the same town, which we are unfortunately not able to locate. It also bears additional phrases regarding valor and bravery, as well as signatures from the "Women's Patriotic Association" in different styles, 5 of which are women with the same Yanagidaira surname. The flag is partly written using semi-cursive gyōsho (行書), a more flowing script which while not as hard to read as sōsho (草書 - cursive), is still difficult to read, so not all of the Kanji were able to be translated.

The flag measures approximately 29" x 35", and is made of what what looks to be muslin or possibly rayon, and early semi-synthetic cloth made using wood fibers, with the red "sun" dyed into the middle. Overall the flag is in very good condition and is the real deal: a genuine US GI "bring back"!

The writing is still clearly legible, and this would make a fine display piece for a wall or glass table. The flag still has the original corner ties fully intact, along with brown leather corner reinforcements.

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.