Flag from Hirota Shrine

[Papa Nambu]

This flag was blessed at Hirota shrine http://www.hirotahonsya.or.jp/english.html, which until 1946 was a Kanpei-taisha, a First rank, government supported, Imperial shrine. It was also blessed at Minatogawa Shrine http://www.minatogawajinja.or.jp/ (Identified as "Keyakigawa" shrine in Imperial Japanese Good Luck Flags page 61).



(Top) 武運長久 Eternal good fortune in battle
(Right) 官幣大社廣田神社 Kanpei-taisha Hirota Jinja (Hirota shrine)
官司吉井良地 Kanshi (Government Official) Yoshii Yoshi tada (name broken up due to our over zealous word filter)

Yoshii Yosh itada (Or someone with the same name kanji) apparently wrote a few books about Japanese archeology. Whatever his position was with the government, it apparently didn't keep him from being called up for military service.


Hirota Shrine stamp


Another Hiroda Shrine stamp, hard to make out the right side.


Minatogawa Shrine stamp with a kikusui (chrysanthemum floating on water), the crest of Masashige Kusunoki, a famous military commander who is enshrined there. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masashige_Kusunoki

[malarky]

Nice flag and good job!

[Nick Komiya]

Great job with the translation. Let me just steer you back on course where you went off a bit. 宮司 is pronounced Guuji or Miyazukasa and is the title of the principle of the Shrine. Ryouji Yoshii was the head of the Hirota Shrine and he personally blessed the flag. See post 17 of this thread for the same type of inscription http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...esearch&page=2
This flag was a prepared blank that was not presented.

[Papa Nambu]

Great job with the translation. Let me just steer you back on course where you went off a bit. 宮司 is pronounced Guuji or Miyazukasa and is the title of the principle of the Shrine. Ryouji Yoshii was the head of the Hirota Shrine and he personally blessed the flag. See post 17 of this thread for the same type of inscription http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...esearch&page=2
This flag was a prepared blank that was not presented.

It may have been carried as is, because it ended up in America somehow. Now days with the internet, collectors send items back and forth overseas frequently, but that wasn't so common when I bought this in the early 90s. Still, it's always possible some traveling collector found it in Japan.

I truly appreciate your help checking my translation. Such a small difference between 官司 and 宮司 but it completely changes the meaning. With the ink a bit blurred there, I would have never figured that out on my own.

At first I wanted to have someone translate my flags for me, but it's been very rewarding trying to do it on my own, even if I do make a few mistakes. Thanks for your help!