Good luck flag reproduction

[Jjn]

Hi,
I've become pretty interested in these flags. I'm not a collector and don't own any, but have been looking for one to potentially buy for the historical significance. It's become obvious to me how many of these flags are faked, and were faked even back then during the war. Can anyone knowledgable on this please tell me if this example is an obvious reproduction? Thank you.

 

[Uncle Frank]

One of my Boy Scout leaders (around 1959) was a Marine stationed on Hawaii during & after the war. He loved telling the story how they used Japanese prisoners to pump out fake flags to sell to other military members to take home. He said they made a fortune on them and said they even used pigs blood on some and had some type of wash to make the material look aged. I never knew if stories like that were made up or true. My dad was a submarine sailor stationed in Hawaii and he told stories that seemed like tall tales of those times.

 

[Jjn]

One of my Boy Scout leaders (around 1959) was a Marine stationed on Hawaii during & after the war. He loved telling the story how they used Japanese prisoners to pump out fake flags to sell to other military members to take home. He said they made a fortune on them and said they even used pigs blood on some and had some type of wash to make the material look aged. I never knew if stories like that were made up or true. My dad was a submarine sailor stationed in Hawaii and he told stories that seemed like tall tales of those times.

I wouldn't be surprised. They all needed to make money, and it was popular to fake these flags! First time hearing that specifically, but it makes sense.

 

[Uncle Frank]

Some of the stories these old guys told reminded me of episodes of McHale's Navy.

 

[Majestic]

Hello Jjn, your flag does not look like an obvious fake to me. Typical flag: slogan on the top, names underneath and radiating out from the red disk. Nothing special, but also nothing obviously suspicious.

 

[Jjn]

Hello Jjn, your flag does not look like an obvious fake to me. Typical flag: slogan on the top, names underneath and radiating out from the red disk. Nothing special, but also nothing obviously suspicious.

Thank you. I lack experience and don't doubt that I could be wrong. Flag does't seem obviously fake to me either, but the wear for being ~80 years old(supposedly) seems lacking. It looks like it could have been made yesterday. All the real flags i've seen are made of silk and sometimes cotton. They all get the same look that is really hard to duplicate, i.e. aging/fading of the black ink, patina of the silk/cotton. One thing that seems very unusual is all the inconsistencies in the reinforced corners and tie string. Colors are all over the place, and certain traits are unusually common with some vendors. I saw one website that is reputable selling a small collection of these. The kanji patterns and styles seemed to differ somewhat, but almost every single flag had gold corners and some looked brand new.
I think there are likely more fakes out there these days than genuine examples. Some people have massive collections, and I don't doubt buy every new flag that comes to market.

 

[Uncle Frank]

My dad bought home a Japanese rifle as a war trophy. After a while it got rusty. He had a friend sand blast it and paint the metal part silver and paint the stock brown. Way to go dad , LOL. Ugliest thing I ever saw.

 

[Jjn]

My dad bought home a Japanese rifle as a war trophy. After a while it got rusty. He had a friend sand blast it and paint the metal part silver and paint the stock brown. Way to go dad , LOL. Ugliest thing I ever saw.

Ouch! I'm guessing you got rid if it, haha. If not, maybe you could sandblast again, but then re-blue it? I'm not sure, as I'm not a gun guy.. My grandfather also brought back a rifle from the war. I even have the serial number from the authorization issued by the 12th pacific fleet. I've been trying to track it down, but the odds are vastly against me.

 

[Uncle Frank]

Seeing someone with a gun in Maine is so common , that when I took the local ferry boat with the gun no one even gave it a second look. I tossed the rifle overboard in a deep spot and probably some lobster has it in his home now.