Signed Japanese flag, stating the unit. Is it worth the price?

[24th_infantry]

I found this flag for sale. My brother's girlfriend translated it and it states the unit and all the signature are of the men in this specific unit. I'm not sure which unit all I know is its the 3rd group within a larger unit. Its roughly 2.5 feet by 2.5 feet and is cotton. The person wants $200 for the flag. Is it worth it or is the price too high? Thanks so much for all your help!

[gunto]

The big kanji looks little sloppy made ,but im sure its original.
A value prox. 130-180 usd IMO.

[juoneen]

Imo....not that high...more like 125. MAX. (I would offer less, IF I were interested) I value these by age, size, wear,materials used and artistic execution as sometimes they have tigers or other art added ...many of these were carried in combat inside the helmet. I also value more ,the ones that were taken right after the battle, and have signs of being carried a lot. There are also versions that were factory printed , but still original.

[GeorgeP]

Speaking purely of the kanji written on the flag, there is a line speaking of the commemoration of the capture of Hankou (Wuhan-Hankou campaign). So, if all is legit., the soldier was in a unit fighting in China.

Tom

[Papa Nambu]

Flags signed by a military unit are usually worth more than the common flags signed by a soldier's friends and family. More so in Japan where people are interested in what the flag says, than in America where people think the prettier or more heavily signed flags are better. With research and translation this could be worth more than your normal yosegaki flag, but at $200 don't expect to make a profit. I have sold some of my more interesting flags for around $200, but unless you have something extraordinary (tiger painting, capture papers, important signature, etc) that's about the upper limit of the price range.

[Stu W]

I don't see this one as a Yosegaki Hinomaru (Good Luck flag). Perhaps it's a post war reunion piece? I'm not suggesting it's any sort of fake or from the modern era. The flag looks to be constructed as do others in the period so I have no issue with authenticity. I just wonder if it was even meant to be carried into battle. Given my own criteria for purchasing I'd offer no more than 150 USD for it. Even then it would be more as a curiosity piece for me.

Regards,
Stu

[Nick Komiya]

It is a Hinomaru Yosegaki all right, as that term applies to any meat ball flag with mulitple people signing. What is a bit strange is that while saying it is in commemoration of their occupation of Hankou, it is being presented to an individual. The only scenario that makes sense is that each member of the 3rd squad, 3rd platoon got this as a memento to remind him of the buddies, who accomplished the feat together with him. Unit signed flags as a send off were prohibited, so when it was signed by the unit, and dedicated to somone, it was often to present it to a comrade being discharged. If it did not mention Hankou, it would have been seen as such a discharge flag.

[Stu W]

It is a Hinomaru Yosegaki all right, as that term applies to any meat ball flag with mulitple people signing...

Interesting ... and thank you for that information. I had not realized that the term could be so broadly interpreted.

Regards,
Stu

[Nick Komiya]

If you and 2 other people sign a card of good cheer together for a friend in hospital, that is a perfect Yosegaki. Happy Birthday cards in the office are normally all Yosegaki, too, as it merely means "write one after another close together". Hinomaru literally means "The sun orb" and is the name of the national flag of Japan. So the flags with signatures are Hinomaru Yosegaki, not Yosegaki Hinomaru. That is because adjectives come before the noun and Hinomaru serves like an adjective. Actually the correct Japanese is Hinomaru no Yosegaki, which makes the adjective role clear in grammar.

[keith]

If you and 2 other people sign a card of good cheer together for a friend in hospital, that is a perfect Yosegaki. Happy Birthday cards in the office are normally all Yosegaki, too, as it merely means "write one after another close together". Hinomaru literally means "The sun orb" and is the name of the national flag of Japan. So the flags with signatures are Hinomaru Yosegaki, not Yosegaki Hinomaru. That is because adjectives come before the noun and Hinomaru serves like an adjective. Actually the correct Japanese is Hinomaru no Yosegaki, which makes the adjective role clear in grammar.

I always appreciate your contributions to threads like this Nick-thank you.

[Stu W]

I always appreciate your contributions to threads like this Nick-thank you.

+1

Regards,
Stu

[Nick Komiya]

If you found that interesting, ponder this question. What is the name of the most famous Katana in the world? If you say something like Masamune or Nagamitsu, you need to read further. To me the most famous katana is Excalibur. Yes, a Japanese sword is a Katana, but a Katana is not a Japanese sword. Snobs who like to use the word somehow imagine that because it is Japanese, it must mean Japanese sword. It actually refers to any sword in the world. If you want to use the correct word, you have to add Nihon (Japanese) in front, as a defining word with an adjective function. So it is written as Nihon Katana( 日本刀）, but when forming a compound noun、 the word katana must be read as "tou", so the word is read Nihonto　or Nihontoh. So what most people mean as Katana on this forum is correctly a Nihonto.

[Nick Komiya]

Ｓｏｒｒｙ, if I may be unleashing the dogs of confusion into this world, but when pondering the other word for sword, "Ken", I realized I made a mistake when I said katana can mean any sword. Correctly, I should have said Ken is any sword. Ken is further divided into the single-edged swords, the Katana and the double edged swords, the Tsurugi. So a sabre is a Katana, but Excalibur is a Tsurugi, not a katana. However, that Nihonto is the correct word to use, still stands.

[FightenIrish35]

Nick , your the man . That's great information. I must admit I did not know the proper term . Thank you !