WWII Japanese Flag research - more info here

[eagl]

Our wing historian got more information about the flag than he expected, and he is very grateful for the responses including the info he received from here.  Apparently the reverse-kanji explanation for the readability issue is not obvious.

In any case, here is a summary of what he received, and what I think will form the basis of the updated documentation in our historical center:

Japanese CBI artifact

The Large part is the "good luck" message and all the rest of the kanji is names/signatures.  It is written in old style kanji (almost Chinese style) so it is hard for younger people to read but one of the older guys here (who is like 65ish) could read it. Its not written like normal kanji, its from right to left.  Normally if it is written horizontally its from left to right.

The story about this type of flag is during the World War 2, much like in the states, they had a draft in Japan. The military would hand out "Akagami" (red paper) to the governor/city hall of the region and they would deliver it to the houses of young men. That was your draft papers.
All the people from the same area would go to training together so your squadron consists of people you know (friends, relatives, neighbors, ect).  These groups of drafted folks were the ones to mainly go overseas from Japan to places like Korea, China or even down south like Okinawa.
While the men were in training, the families in the town/city where they were from would take the Japanese flag, and put a message saying that they were praying for everyone to come home safely and then sign it. I guess the group then would give it to the commander of the squadron and he would take it to war with them.

There is a shrine here in Shinjuku called Yasukuni Shrine "http://www.yasukuni.or.jp/english/" and they have a bunch of these types of flags there. It is a big WW2 monument/museum here in Tokyo.

"The top characters on these flags were written to be read from the mast side of the flag outward - the right side in this case. It is done on Japanese ships and other vehicles, so the letters are read from the front of the vehicle to the rear. So, looking at a ship from the port side, the characters are read normally from left to right. Looking from the starboard side, the characters are reversed and read from right to left.

That's why it is read as "Hisanaga Untake" from left to right. It has no meaning other than a person’s name.  In reality, it is read from right to left as "ki buun cho(u)kyu(u)." which roughly means “Prayer for eternal luck in a fight, battle, or competition."

[rpm]

I had a quippy reply to this, but decided I don't really care what the battle flag of my father's enemy had written on it other than "a place reserved in hell for me".

[eagl]

That's why you're not a historian in a USAF flying wing

[rpm]

True. It's just hard for me to seperate being a direct decendant of someone they did everything in their being to kill from being a historian.
Did you know they hold an annual reunion of Iwo Jima survivors in Wichita Falls?
Before my Dad died they used his '40 Ford Deluxe as the Staff car for the highest ranking survivor.

[Rolex]

Hi eagl,

Glad to have been able to contribute something to your search.

A couple of comments, if I may...

Yasukuni shrine is in Chiyoda ku, (Chiyoda ward) of Tokyo, not Shinkjuku ku. It is not a WWII monument. It is a national shrine built in 1869 where the souls of those killed in all Japanese conflicts are enshrined, not unlike Arlington Cemetery.

I don't understand this sentence: "These groups of drafted folks were the ones to mainly go overseas from Japan to places like Korea, China or even down south like Okinawa." It makes no sense to me. It would be like saying draftees in the US were sent overseas, implying that enlistees were not?

[Furball]

That's cool, thanks eagl

[eagl]

Rolex,

I'm not sure about the draftee vs. enlistee status.  I can ask though.

I'll pass along your clarification of the shrine information.  It seems a relevant distinction and he is trying to be accurate.

[john9001]

the war has been over for 63 years, there is a time for war and a time for peace.

[Blooz]

and those that forget their history are condemned to repeat it...

[moot]

It sounds more like an answer to RPM.