Japanese military flags

Last modified: 2023-07-03 by
Keywords: military flags: japan | sun ired) | rays | rising sun |
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• Naval Ensign
  • Masthead Pennant
  • Ground Self Defense Forces
    Chief of Staff, Composite Forces
    Ground Self Defense Forces
    Ground Self Defense Forces rank flags
    Infantry flags
    Japanese Ground Self Defense Forces: Armor
    Japanese Ground Self Defense Forces: Engineers
    Japanese Ground Self Defense Forces: Quartermaster
    Japanese Ground Self Defense Forces: Aviation
    Japanese Ground Self Defense Forces: Signaling
    Japanese Ground Self Defense Forces: Ordinance Branch
    Japanese Ground Self Defense Forces: Transportation
    Japanese Ground Self Defense Forces: Artillery
    Japanese Ground Self Defense Forces: Military Police
    Japanese Ground Self Defense Forces: Airborne
    Japanese Ground Self Defense Forces: Finance
    Japanese Ground Self Defense Forces: Medical
    Japanese Ground Self Defense Forces: Chemical
    Japanese Ground Self Defense Forces: Other Units
  Rank flags of the Self Defense Forces
  Marine Self Defense Forces
  Rank flags of the Marine Self Defense Forces
  Naval Rank Flags, 19th Century (Japan)
  Japanese Naval Rank Flags (1870-1944)
  Naval Command Pennants, 1897-1945
  Naval Rank Flags, 19th Century (Japan)
  Japanese Naval Rank Flags (1870-1944)
  National Safety Agency
  Rank Flags
  • Command flags
    Army Command
    Division Command
    • Brigade Command flags
      Artillary
      Engineering
      Infantry
      Ordinance
      Signalling
  Independent Communications Batallion(1951-1952)
  Independent Hygene Batallion
  Batallion Safety Unit
  Second Regiment
  Independent Transport Batallion
  Group Flag
  Independent Scouting Company
  Logistics Command
  National Safety Force
  Second Division Army Command
  Maritime Guard Force (1952-1964)
  Maritime Guard Force
  Maritime Safety Agency
  Maritime Safety Agency rank flags
  Air Self Defense Force
  Air Defense Command
  • Military Academies
    National Defense Academy
    National Defense Medical Academy
    Army Schools

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  See also:
  Japan

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  Naval Ensign

  by Zeljko Heimer
  2:3

  Japan 1913 and 1941: the ensign is the same as today, white with a red disc slightly to the hoist with rays (16 to be precise) extending from the disc to the edges of the flag. The rays are the same as if the flag were gyrony of 32 gules and argent.
  Nathan Augustine - 05 December 1995

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  The naval flag was introduced in 1889 and that has 16 rays extending from the Sun "Mon" to the edge of the flag. The flag was "banned" by the Treaty of San Francisco which prevent Japan from having her own armed forces, but in 1952 she started to build up "self-defence" forces. The naval forces readopted the naval ensign in 1954.

  I believe, but may be mistaken, that the naval flag was also the war flag in the Second World War, in which case it would have been used by Japanese soldiers and bases. This may be why you think they removed the rays from the flag, but in fact both flags existed at the same time. The modern land "self-defence" force uses a flag with 8 rays with a gold edge (made of two shallow triangles on each edge).
  Graham Bartram, 9 November 1998

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  The Naval Ensign was first adopted on October 7, 1889 and used until the end of World War II and re-adopted on June 30, 1954 as a Naval Ensign used by Japanese Maritime Self Defense Forces.
  Nozomi Kariyasu, 6 February 2000

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  Anyone who has tried to draw the Japanese naval ensign will know that the 32 rays placed at 11.25degree intervals will not fit correctly (ie with rays at the corners) into a flag of 2:3. As far as I can see, there are two ways to do it, one is to alter the proportions of the flag, and the other is to adjust the rays, and for years I wondered how the Japanese did it?

  A couple of years ago I managed to get a faxed copy (from Whitney Smith) of the law, which revived the flag, and (whilst it was in Japanese) fortunately had an illustration.
  Christopher Southworth, 24 January 2003

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  I asked a JAVA member who is working for flag manufacturer about your question. His answer is to adjust rays to the flag but not change  proportion. Actually they hide rays with hoist edge. He has an official document showing flag specification but there is no statement on how to adjust rays  with 11.25 degree intervals. He is surprised to see Christopher notice this strange specification on naval ensign.
  Nozomi Kariyasu, 27 January 2003

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  Masthead Pennant

  by Zeljko Heimer
  

  The masthead pendant, in its present form, was adopted by Naval Insignia Order No. 11 of 11 January 1914; it was abolished following the Japanese surrender of 14 August 1945 and re-introduced by Defence Agency Notice No. 2 dated 28 January 1956.
  Christopher Southworth, 2 May 2004

  The triangular pennant is in ratio between 1:40 and 1:90, with the hoist part in ratio 2:3, containing a simplified variant of the naval ensign - the sun disk being in its center, with diameter half the hoist size. The eight rays are such to cover at edges about 1/5 of the hoist size, the diagonal rays border only with the top and bottom sides.
  Zeljko Heimer, 2 May 2004

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  Ground Self Defense Forces

  by Zeljko Heimer
  Proportions: ~8:9

  This flag was adopted by a Law/Order/Decree published in the Official Gazette of 30 June 1954.
  Christopher Southworth, 5 May 2004

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  The Army Flag is often quoted in ratio 8:9, but this is only approximate. This is because it is only the length that is prescribed as 108.9 cm, and the angle of the diagonal is 50°. The trigonometry thus yields the height to approximately 91.378 cm.

  Construction Sheet
  by Zeljko Heimer
  

  The central red disk diameter is prescribed to 41.5 cm. The rays are made so that the edges they form angles 19, 21, 26 and 24 degrees. The "indentations" to make place for the yellow irregular triangles along borders are such that the imaginary line extending from the edge between two fields is 5.6 cm long from the edge.
  Zeljko Heimer, 5 May 2004