WWII flag translation
- Thread starter JoeBianco
- Start date
- 22 Feb 2008
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It doesn't seem like a genuine yosegaki as same as these cases.
- Thread starter
- #3
Not disagreeing with you just curious what would lead you to believe it is a fake? Is there something that gives it away?
- 22 Feb 2008
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1)The proportion of the center red circle to the entire flag is odd.
2)The flag was used in wrong direction (longitudinally).
3)All the signatures have only family names. There are no given names there.
4)Signatures such like General Yamashita or Major Nishikawa are extremely unusual.
and above all
5)All the signatures were written by the same person.
2)The flag was used in wrong direction (longitudinally).
3)All the signatures have only family names. There are no given names there.
4)Signatures such like General Yamashita or Major Nishikawa are extremely unusual.
and above all
5)All the signatures were written by the same person.
- 15 Mar 2002
- 16,758
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6) No place names
7) No unit designators
8) No dates
Apparently, there were a lot of fakes either created for sale to GIs who wanted a trophy but failed to capture one or which were commissioned by GIs who wanted a trophy but failed to capture one. Six of one, half a dozen of the other at this late date.
If I were you I would take comfort in discovering it is a fake. That means he didn't have to steal it from a living prisoner or....worse....rob a dead body for it. Nor does it hold the slightest bit of sentimental value for the descendants or surviving relatives of a Japanese soldier who died in the war and who might want it back, since it was a fraud from the get-go. This is a 100% guilt-free souvenir of the time, place, and era. Enjoy it.
7) No unit designators
8) No dates
Apparently, there were a lot of fakes either created for sale to GIs who wanted a trophy but failed to capture one or which were commissioned by GIs who wanted a trophy but failed to capture one. Six of one, half a dozen of the other at this late date.
If I were you I would take comfort in discovering it is a fake. That means he didn't have to steal it from a living prisoner or....worse....rob a dead body for it. Nor does it hold the slightest bit of sentimental value for the descendants or surviving relatives of a Japanese soldier who died in the war and who might want it back, since it was a fraud from the get-go. This is a 100% guilt-free souvenir of the time, place, and era. Enjoy it.
- Thread starter
- #6
Thank you very much for the insight... Makes a lot of sense. So basically the wrighting is all names of failmy to say good luck?(even fake id like to understand what it says)
- 22 Feb 2008
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The four characters at the top of the flag is 武運長久[Buunchōkyū] "Good luck in battle". The rest are all family names(the names of the presenters in genuine ones).
- Thread starter
- #8
Thank you for your help. Really nice being able to get information on this. Not sure how else I would have been able to do this. Thanks again.
- 12 Oct 2013
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Also, the "Tojo" signature (left of center bottom, largest signature) is a fairly dead giveaway, and ubiquitous to this kind of ersatz war flag. Together with the signatures of Yamashita, Ariga, Sugiyama, etc... all major names in the Japanese military of the time. It's like finding a strange Nazi banner with (miraculously) all the signatures of Hitler, Rommel, Goering, Ribbentrop, etc...
Even if it isn't what your grandfather thought it to be, its still an artifact of its time, and perhaps all the more fondly cherished for all the reasons Mike mentioned.
Even if it isn't what your grandfather thought it to be, its still an artifact of its time, and perhaps all the more fondly cherished for all the reasons Mike mentioned.
