Thank you Majestic. I have attached a picture of the flag rotated to the way you suggest...is this now the correct orientation?Hello again,
The tassel should be in the lower right corner, and the words should be on the bottom of the flag. The circular medallion should be in the top right corner. The writing says;
茨城懸多賀郡黒前村立高原青年訓練所
Ibaraki-ken, Taga-gun, Kurosaki sonritsu Takahara Seinen Kunren-jo
Ibaraki Prefecture, Taga County, Kurosaki Village, Takahara Military Academy
A much more interesting item than your last one - for me anyway. This looks like a real antique.
Thank you for your observation. I had not thought of it and it does make sense. I would like to learn more about this military academy. Was it for certain ages of future soldiers? Did any known officers attend this academy? My limited searching has not produced any information.I would be inclined to think it's real. If somebody were to create a fake, would they use an obscure location of a place in the middle of nowhere like this? And the fact the village no longer exists makes sense. And that you don't see more of them makes sense too. It was a small rural school and there wouldn't have been a need to make many flags like this.
I did a couple searches in Japanese but didn't find anything about this school. I'll try again later.Thank you for your observation. I had not thought of it and it does make sense. I would like to learn more about this military academy. Was it for certain ages of future soldiers? Did any known officers attend this academy? My limited searching has not produced any information.
Thank you.I did a couple searches in Japanese but didn't find anything about this school. I'll try again later.
Thank you for the information. So then this flag was likely manufactured during the time period that you mention, between 1926 and 1935? Is it considered rare and valuable?青年訓練所 existed between 1926 and 1935.
1926年（大正15年）、勅令青年訓練所令によって設置された。
1935年（昭和10年）に、実業補習学校と統合する形で、青年学校へと発展的に解消した。
It's not an officer academy, but a training school for common soldiers, for from 16 to 20 years old boys.
The text in the circle is 青訓, i.e., an abbreviation of 青年訓練所, which was really used in the era. I, too, bet that it's authentic.
I can't judge it, but I've never seen similar ones. It's at least valuable for people who live the region. They must be thankful to you if you donate it to them.Is it considered rare and valuable?
The good condition, fringe, and colors got my attention. It would have been more appeal to me if it had a true military association. It is being auctioned off this weekend and the current bid amount is probably more than I am willing to spend, considering the feedback that I have been kindly given on this forum.It's as valuable as a, say, banner from a regional track meet in Bentonville, Arkansas, c. 1930.
That is to say, it will have a value for people who like that kind of Americana. For this flag, it will have an appeal to people who like militaria (although I would say this is on the fringe of militaria). To most people in Japan, its just an old school flag.
Edit: it looks to be in good condition, so that is a bonus. The "rising sun" theme has a certain wartime nostalgia, which is a positive thing for collectors, but a negative thing for others. In general, WW2 militaria appeals to a niche group of people.
A strange coincidence that you say that. It is being auctioned off this weekend. The auction house is describing it as a regimental flag. The current bid is probably more that I am willing to pay for it.If you tell people it's a regimental flag it may have more value.
It's not a coincidence, I was only repeating what you said in the first post.A strange coincidence that you say that. It is being auctioned off this weekend. The auction house is describing it as a regimental flag. The current bid is probably more that I am willing to pay for it.
Oops...I had forgotten that I mentioned that the flag is listed as being "regimental". The terms and conditions of this auction house state that items are sold "as is" and that they do not guarantee the the correctness of the description. So buyer beware.It's not a coincidence, I was only repeating what you said in the first post.
I was joking but one way to increase the value is to misrepresent what it is.
Just curious, what happens in such a case? Assuming the auction house is reputable, do they have any responsibility for such misrepresentations? Or is it buyer beware?