Help Translating WWII Japanese Flag

Rice Lord · 20 Nov 2022

Hello all! Recently, I picked up this flag and have had it mostly translated. However, both me and the translator have not been able to decipher the four large characters, each with it's own individual stamp, at the top of the flag. They do not appear to be Japanese and to be honest, I'm not really sure what they are. I would be immensely grateful for any assistance

Majestic · 21 Nov 2022

It's a bit too elusive. I think they are kanji, but just too stylized to read. They kind of resemble bonji (Siddham script) characters, which are sometimes found on Japanese items. But none of them really resemble any specific bonji, and 4 bonji on a yosegaki flag would be extremely unusual indeed. So I think its a 4-character idiom (super common on these kinds of flags, as you will know because there are many smaller ones scattered around the flag).

nice gaijin · 21 Nov 2022

Majestic said:
It's a bit too elusive. I think they are kanji, but just too stylized to read. They kind of resemble bonji (Siddham script) characters, which are sometimes found on Japanese items. But none of them really resemble any specific bonji, and 4 bonji on a yosegaki flag would be extremely unusual indeed. So I think its a 4-character idiom (super common on these kinds of flags, as you will know because there are many smaller ones scattered around the flag).

I was thinking that too, especially since they seem to be over stamps that could be goshuuin, but I haven't studied Sanskrit enough to recognize any of then. The third from the left looks like 家 to me, so it could just be a stylized thing as you say.

Majestic · 21 Nov 2022

Funny - I was thinking 2nd from the left might be 家, and 3rd from the left might be 飛 and far right 衣 . But eventually I got tired of running into dead ends, and I felt I was increasingly grasping at straws. I was also puzzled by the number of people who wrote 武運長久 or some form of it. Kind of weird.

nice gaijin · 21 Nov 2022

Majestic said:
Funny - I was thinking 2nd from the left might be 家, and 3rd from the left might be 飛 and far right 衣 . But eventually I got tired of running into dead ends, and I felt I was increasingly grasping at straws. I was also puzzled by the number of people who wrote 武運長久 or some form of it. Kind of weird.

I can see what you mean, the top of #3 looks too exaggerated to be ウ冠

The various dots around the characters supports the bonji theory, I wish I knew more about siddham script. Another thing to study for the pile!

Rice Lord · 21 Nov 2022

Thanks you guys for the chiming in! I was thinking that it might be bonji as well or some type of religious related writing. I've seen many flags, but haven't encountered one like this before.
These aren't the best photos, but I took a photo of each corner, hopefully it shows the four characters in greater detail. I also noted on the right side of the flag, there appears to be a stamp of ome sort of Buddhist deity perhaps? Not sure if that would tie in with the text at all

Help Translating WWII Japanese Flag

Rice Lord

Registered

Majestic

先輩

nice gaijin

Resident Realist

Majestic

先輩

nice gaijin

Resident Realist

Rice Lord

Registered

Similar threads