A haunting Japanese flag...

[GIZMO8Z]

I just acquired this flag from Dr. Bortner, author of the book: "Imperial Japanese Good Luck Flags and One-Thousand Stitch Belts"

It is an amazing relic... to me it is haunting and full of emotion. I see it and think of the well wishes that this particular Japanese soldier received from all of the folks at home who were waiting and hoping that he would return to them safe and sound... I can't help but to think of his sacrifice and the despair felt by his family/ friends when he did not return home.

As the picture shows, the flag has a couple holes which may have been caused by whatever brought the Japanese soldier's life to an end. The flag has blood staining and in spots the soldier's blood has mixed with the ink and caused it to run.

Perhaps I am being too sentimental... but I am blown away by the thought that as the soldier died, his blood mixed with the ink of the well wishes and worlds of protection and encouragement recorded by his friends and family.

It is my intention to share this flag with my high school history students. I believe it is the perfect exemplar of the terrible cost of war.



I would love to provide my students with a diagram of exactly what is written on this flag (in English), and where each saying is written. Any help in translating this flag and putting together a "key" would be GREATLY appreciated!

THANKS FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION!

[Stu W]

Large slogan across the bottom is...

武運長久 Buun (Fortunes of war) Choukyuu (Forever/Perpetually) usually translated as Eternal Good Fortune in Battle.

Have a look at post two on this thread...

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=493366

Regards,
Stu

[GIZMO8Z]

Thanks for the valuable resource, Stu!

Additional help would still be greatly appreciated because I'm having some trouble making out most of the other characters.

[Stu W]

Thanks for the valuable resource, Stu!

Additional help would still be greatly appreciated because I'm having some trouble making out most of the other characters.

If all you are having is "some trouble" you are doing better than most of us who have extreme difficulty.

Kidding aside, the bulk of the small kanji are usually the names of well wishers and there may be the occasional small slogan related to the destruction of the enemy.

May I suggest that you get hold of Papa Nambu (Ted) or Nick Komiya and bring this thread to their attention. Both are very helpful as are a couple of the other fellows who have a better grasp of the kanji than I do. Keep in mind that they, as valued resources, may not respond immediately as they are very much in demand.

Regards,
Stu

[GIZMO8Z]

If all you are having is "some trouble" you are doing better than most of us who have extreme difficulty.

Kidding aside, the bulk of the small kanji are usually the names of well wishers and there may be the occasional small slogan related to the destruction of the enemy.

May I suggest that you get hold of Papa Nambu (Ted) or Nick Komiya and bring this thread to their attention. Both are very helpful as are a couple of the other fellows who have a better grasp of the kanji than I do. Keep in mind that they, as valued resources, may not respond immediately as they are very much in demand.

Regards,
Stu

LOL... okay... so I was being modest. I'm trying... but I really cannot make heads or tails out of pretty much anything on this flag!

I will be patient with everyone taking a look at this thread. I am helpless with out them!!

[Paul G]

Thats a flag that will make you ponder the cost of waging war!

PG-

[petopoint]

brings it all back

Certainly puts things in perspective. Congratulations on using it as a teaching tool for your students. It makes such a profound statement on mans futility, something they'll never forget.

[GIZMO8Z]

I got some of the bigger slogans translated...

Help getting this flag completely translated would be amazing.

[Papa Nambu]

You have most of it translated already. I'm not a fluent Japanese speaker/reader and most of what is left is not written clearly enough for me to do much. I have to look up any kanji I'm not already familiar with and that's very difficult when the strokes aren't clear.

[GIZMO8Z]

You have most of it translated already. I'm not a fluent Japanese speaker/reader and most of what is left is not written clearly enough for me to do much. I have to look up any kanji I'm not already familiar with and that's very difficult when the strokes aren't clear.

Thanks for the info! I appreciate you taking the time to visit me thread.

[GIZMO8Z]

I was able to have a Japanese professor take a look at my flag and she stated that most of what has been left untranslated is really hard to read.

With that being said, the students were interested and the professor was blown away to be able to handle a piece of history.

[Stu W]

Good to learn that it went well for you. It does not surprise me that some of what was left was difficult to read. I've been told that brush strokes are as individual as handwriting and that some of the kanji was written/used in what I'll refer to as an archaic or dated manner. I may be off a bit in that but I equate it somewhat to our use in the past of Old English or perhaps German Suetterlin. Maybe one of the members fluent in Japanese could clarify that for me.

Regards,
Stu

[MikeB]

A haunting Japanese Flag

Hello Joe-
Thank you for keeping me updated on your flag/school project. It's very nice to see how you are taking this individual piece of Japanese wartime material culture and using it to speak to your students and others about history, war and the wartime human condition. My hat really goes off to you. Please continue to keep us updated on how this works.
MikeB

[GIZMO8Z]

Hello Joe-
Thank you for keeping me updated on your flag/school project. It's very nice to see how you are taking this individual piece of Japanese wartime material culture and using it to speak to your students and others about history, war and the wartime human condition. My hat really goes off to you. Please continue to keep us updated on how this works.
MikeB

No, THANK YOU!