Please help with a couple flags.

Hello everyone I am glad that I could find this place and sign up... I have questions about 2 flags.I've had for a long time.The first one I have tried to do my own Research on But still i'm uncertain about the answer.. I would like to know if the name on One flag is related to an article I found on the internet by cross referencing the name... The japanese american gentleman In the article had quite an interesting life Or maybe
It's possible that his name Is very common.. According to the article he could have been in japan at this time andsigned the flag before he went back to hawaii.

My second question was about the legitimacy of this IJN flag being world war two period I have asked on other forums and was told due to it having the gold foil corner tabs that it was post war... The problem i'm having with that is I have came across well over twenty confirmed World war two period flags with the same foil tabs... any and All information or suggestions I can get are much appreciated....Thank you.

This is the flag that is signed by the gentleman.I am wondering if is the same in the link...(kazuo yamane)

Hello Renzo,

The name "Yamane Kazuo" is a fairly common name, so it would be a big coincidence if the person named in the article were the same person who signed the flag. Also, I don't think the kanji in your printed example is correct. I'd like to see a clearer photo of that flag, but it looks like it might be 山根和雄 (also pronounced Yamane Kazuo), but it could also be 山根正雄 (Yamane Masao). Also, be aware that unless we knew for sure how the person in the article spelled their name, it would be hard to link the two with any certainty. There are several ways to write the name Kazuo, so you'd need to know how the name is spelled to match up the names.

For the rising sun flag, all I know is that authentic rising sun flags from the war era are super rare, as most army soldiers carried Japanese flags, with just the red sun disk without the rays. Then, after the war, the "rising sun" flags with the rays became popular as souvenirs, so a ton of these were fabricated to sell to GIs who wanted such souvenirs. The guys at Warrelics.com have more details on the various flags. Find the subsection on Japanese war memorabilia. It is probably the most active site for such items on the web.

Also, Keiho (桂邦 - name #1 on your flag) would be a super unusual Japanese name, so I suspect that is a mistake by the person who translated the flag.

There might be other clues on the flag that could help determine the timing of the flag. The Kazuo Yamane of the article indicates he was only in Japan for 5 years (1935-1940). The Japanese army had been active in China since 1937 or so, but the war effort really didn't involve the whole country until Japan attacked the US in 1941.

Thank you for your help! Majestic.... I took some better shots, one of the name and then two over all of the flag. If you need any more close-ups of anything please let me know... I also apologize for the glare...... Also, the flag and several other items I have were translated by a woman in Japan years ago.... thanks

#1 is 堀部安夫 HORIBE Yasuo

#2 looks very much like 山根正雄 YAMANE Masao



The name Kazuo , as written in text on the name list, is 一雄, with the first part of the name being just a straight horizontal line.
The kanji on the flag isn't straight, and isn't a horizontal line. It looks more like a calligraphic form of 正 (masa).

Thank you for all your help