Japanese Flag help..

[RodneyO]

Aloha All,
Would need your help with the flag’s translation. The kanji is in a cursive style making it difficult to find in my book or online. I got the top section by using Nick Komiya’s Slogan Translations in the above Pinned “Thread for the Compilation of Kanji Slogans and Translations” by PAB_Collector. It’s one of the basic slogans but was a little tricky. I could make out all except for the kanji on the right. I went to Griffin Militaria to search his section on Japanese Flags and Banners. The kanji that came close to it was 祈 for Pray. So this is what I think it says on the top: “Pray (for) Everlasting Fortune in Battle”.
Now for the hard part, the kanji’s on the right of the flag, I could only make out these: 日/nichi, 山/yama, 大/dai, 一/ichi but the rest is too fancy for me, so if anyone can help with the translation I would really appreciate your help. I’m sorry but these are the only photos I have at this time.

Mahalo,
Rodney
Jpn flag-b.jpg

Jpn flag-c.jpg

Jpn flag-a.jpg

[GHP]

Your guess is correct, the leading kanji is “pray” 祈.

祈武運長久
Ino(ru) Bu’un Choukyuu

[GHP]

Too fluid to read, but I was able to make out most of that last line (below) which provided good research clues.

Signed by
日本大学総長山岡萬之助
Japan University President Yamaoka Mannosuke. He is more or less the founder of the Japanese university system according to this site:
https://www.nihon-u.ac.jp/history/forerunner/yamaoka/

— Guy
English version: Select the “English” tab at the top of the page in link.

[RodneyO]

Big Mahalo Guy!!
Amazing, that’s some great translating!!! What’s hard, trying to count the strokes! Figuring out the top section especially the right kanji (祈) was hard enough, as none looked close to it in my book. It was not just the strokes but what kanji came closes to it. In the book, using the radicals made it a little easier. The writing on the flag didn’t come close to looking like “久長運武祈” where you can actually count the strokes.

Mahalo for the site on Yamaoka Mannosuke. Did you think he was the one who wrote on this flag to present it to one of his students from the university? Would this be an important historical (Japan University) flag or just the run of the mill Good Fortune Flag?

Aloha, Rodney

[GHP]

... Did you think he was the one who wrote on this flag to present it to one of his students from the university? Would this be an important historical (Japan University) flag or just the run of the mill Good Fortune Flag?

Hi Rodney,

Yes, I think that Yamaoka sensei did the calligraphy, but for whom, that is the unknown. I do not see a recipient’s name. It would be interesting to know the content of the first two lines before his name — until then, it’s anyone’s guess.

I do not know the historical importance of this particular flag — possibly more important to Nippon Daigaku (especially if the flag contains no politically incorrect message); perhaps the university museum would be interested.

Anyway, he wasn’t General Yamamoto — but still, a famous person nonetheless; and it’s always preferable to have a famous person’s signature than an unknown.

— Guy

[RodneyO]

Aloha Guy,
I can’t thank you enough for all your help. You got an important part of the flag’s translation, who and where this flag came from (Japan University and the President of). Will tag that information with the flag. I also searched his name and found that Yamaoka Mannosuke was also the Governor-General of Kwantung Leased Territory from 11 January 1932 to 8 August 1932, but I can’t find any more information on him in that time period.

I bought it from my friend’s uncle who lived in Japan in the 90’s, where he got it, don’t know, but my friend said you could find many Japanese militaria (and samurai armor) at many of the Shrine Flea Markets around Japan back in the days.

Mahalo again,
Rodney