History, Symbollism, and Meaning Behind Japan's National Flag

A national flag is made up of a cloth that is meticulously designed to perfectly represent a country. It can signify many things about the nation it belongs to; it may brandish a number of states that it carries, relate an important historical symbol, or even be used as a signal that its nation is at war. Different colors and graphics connote different meanings and are usually unique to each country, despite it possibly looking alike to others. To signify support of a country, one would wave its flag, and to signify anger or hate, (though this is considered ill behavior), one would burn it.

Countries take their flag very seriously, and some have a name for it. If the USA call theirs the star-spangled banner, Japan’s official name for their flag is “Nisshōki” which means “a flag that is marked with the sun”. It is not frequently called this, though, as the more colloquial term would have to be “Hinomaru”. Hinomaru is technically defined as a “sun disc”, and you’ll notice that when you look at a Japanese flag, it is simply white, with a large crimson circle in the middle – you can easily deduce what that circle represents. It is no wonder that Japan is often referred to as “The Land of The Rising Sun”.

The National Flag of Japan and the Rising Sun

It is believed that the location of the country of Japan has much to do with how endeared it is to the sun. Note that Japan is situated on the easternmost aspect of Asia on the map, and because the sun rises in the east, it theoretically rises closest to Japan. References to this are made as early as the 7th century. This is around the time Japan was founded – by the Sun Goddess Amaterasu. Japanese Emperors are seen to be near god-like because of their direct relation and descent from this goddess. It is also hypothesized that the reason why the sun is so important to the Japanese is because it was a necessity for the growth of their harvest; particularly rice, which their ancient ancestors relied on very much to survive.

More History About The National Flag of Japan

By the time the 8th century rolled in, Japan’s Emperor at that time – Emperor Monmu –  initiated the trend of using the symbol of a sun in a flag by adding one to his court. Increasingly, people identified their country with this symbol, and other legends emerged as to what inspired its use. Some say that Nichiren, a Buddhist who was renowned for his teachings, wished shogun warriors good luck in their battle against Mongolian invaders by giving them banners with the painting of a sun to wield. Although these are all merely stories, the only flag that as remained intact is the one given by Emperor Go-Reizei to samurai Minamoto no Yoshimitsu, which is rumored to be over a thousand years old.

The use of flags became more common during the 1500’s, often used by feudal lords to represent their clans during an attack and to identify who was who. For example, a general would have to carry a different flag compared to that of a normal soldier. These flags would differ in sizes, but would usually carry a family crest. At the dawn of globalization, Japanese ships that were used for trading were made to separate themselves by brandishing the Hinomaru flag. This practice carried on from 1854 until January of 1870, when it was officially declared that the Hinomaru would represent Japanese trade, as well as become Japan’s first national flag. The design of this flag would stay until the year 1999 and would carry many meanings throughout the early 20th century. It saw the Russo-Japanese and two Sino-Japanese wars, as well as the second world war.

It would also be used to promote patriotism by ordinary citizens; women created “flag meals” which consisted of bento boxes that had a bed of rice, topped with a pickled ume fruit, otherwise known as “umeboshi”. Despite the fact that the flag was de facto when World War 2 struck, many associated the Hinomaru with Japanese Imperialism, and the strict rules and violence they wrought in countries they occupied. Ever since the war, there have been arguments as to whether it was right to keep the old design of the flag, with it bringing many traumatic memories of vicious acts. Conservatives won in their decision to keep the flag the way it was, despite the protest of many. Only in 1999 did the Japanese establish the “Law Regarding the National Flag and National Anthem”, which would point out and solidify the exact terms of what Japan’s national symbols would be, in both anthem (kimigayo) and flag.

 

The Meaning Behind the National Flag of Japan

Japan’s national flag is composed of one shape within the flag which is a circle, and two colors in total; crimson and white. The circle, which is colored crimson, represents the sun, whose affiliation with Japan has been explained in previous paragraphs. It is a symbol indicative of millennia of mythology intertwined with harvest count, religion, politics, and the country’s geographical position, making the sun a favorable idol. The use of the color crimson is self-explanatory; it mimics the color of a fresh sunrise. White, on the other hand, represents purity, sacredness, and integrity – values that every Japanese citizen must aspire to have. 

Past Flags That Belonged to Japan

Japan has always had only one documented look of their national flag. This is the same flag that you see today, except with only a few minor adjustments. From 1870, all the way up to 1999, the ratio of Japan’s flag was measured 7 is to 10. This is due to Proclamation #57, which was instated by Japan’s prime minister at that time. Its inner circle was colored a duller red, and it was inched 1% more to the left. Beginning 1999, the Japanese ministry created a proclamation (Proclamation No. 127) that added specific differences. The new flag has a brighter crimson disc which is centered perfectly. The proclamation also changed the ratio of the flag to 2:3. Lastly, the crimson circle in the middle needs to take up 3/5 of the width of the flag.

Japan does have many other flags from other categories. They have imperial flags, military flags, governmental flags, prefectural flags, municipal flags, cultural flags, Japan coast guard flags, historical flags, and minority flags. Most of them were established during the 20th century. It’s interesting to note the details in each of these flags, especially those that were created to represent prefectures. Nagasaki, for example, has a blue graphic of a dove that also resembles a stylized letter “N”. Osaka, on the other hand, has a blue backdrop with four o’s connected to each other. Not only does the flag use the letter “o” for Osaka, it also connotes freshness, sky, and sea with its two colors. 

The Significance of the Military Flag Collection in Japan during WW2

In terms of Japanese military ensign and flag collections, there is a total of 35 that have been created thus far, some of them no longer used. Among these military flags, the most famous one is probably the Rising Sun Flag. The Rising Sun Flag consists of a red circle - much like Japan’s national flag - except with red lines streaking outside of it, which signify the sun’s rays. There are two versions of this flag; one where the sun is offset towards the left, and one where it is in the center. The Imperial Japanese Army use the version where the sun is in the center, while the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Imperial Japanese navy use the version where the sun is offset. A stylized version of this flag (jagged lines on the edges with a dark yellow background) is currently used by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.

The Rising Sun Flag is a war flag. It was originally used during the Edo period, again, by Daimyo, also known as feudal warlords. Its use to depict war was later made official during the Meiji period. It is most famous because of its controversial association with the atrocities committed by the Japanese during the second world war. Many victims of their imperialism (veteran Soldiers from the United States, citizens of China and Korea) liken this flag to the swastika symbol, insisting that using it for anything during is ignoring the fact that it represented so much hate and ruthlessness. They believe its use is an atrocity, and blame the Japanese government for not accepting responsibility for the crime connotes. Some kamikaze (suicide pilots) are associated with this flag, as well as the banzai charge.

Pop Culture and the Flag Emoji from Japan

Japan’s national flag is thick with history, meaning, memories, culture, and symbolism. Nowadays, though, people tend to overlook this, and simply take it for what it is – a flag that represents Japan. In most typing cultures (be it sending a text, instant message, or writing something to post online), people sometimes use “emojis” to express themselves. Emojis are icons that portray expressions, symbols, activities, food, and so much more, and were made to help the user express himself or herself better, and quicker. Nowadays, emojis are common and can be found on almost any cellular phone, with a standard set that applies to most operating systems. It wasn’t long ago, however, that emojis were exclusively used by the Japanese, for the Japanese. One of Japan’s biggest telecom companies, NTT DoCoMo, were the first to start this trend by adding icons to their typing systems for electronic communication. The ease and swiftness that icons brought in delivering concepts were appreciated by its Japanese market, which leads to a boom in its popularity. Before they knew it, other companies developed their own icon systems as well. It wasn’t until the release of the iPhone, though, that western culture picked this trend up. Emojis have since been tailored for global use, and have even been modified for political correctness.

Take your phone out of your pocket and have a close look at your emoji choices. You’ll find many references to Japanese culture as a tribute to the emoji’s origin. To name a few, there’s sushi, the izakaya lantern, crossed Japanese flags, the shape of the map of Japan, the koinobori (carp streamer), Shinto shrine, the oni (a Japanese ogre), the Tengu (a Japanese goblin), and the classic Japanese flag. You do have the Japanese to thank for this.

How Much of Japan is Japan? The Flag Is A Pie Chart

First emojis, now memes. It seems like the Japanese flag can’t escape popular culture. To explain this, you must first know what a meme is. A meme is a symbol, joke, or representation of a (sometimes culturally rooted) behavior pattern that people commonly understand and/or partake in as a social system. In simpler terms, a meme pokes fun at human behavior, and humans take joy in pointing it out through memes and laughing at them.

In this case, the Japanese flag meme is a picture poking fun at the flag, saying that it looks exactly like a pie chart. It then takes that to another level by making another joke by ironically stating the obvious. The meme is simply the flag of Japan, with a legend of a similar color to the circle on its right, labeled “Japan is Japan”. It is trying to be funny by using the flag of Japan as a pie chart to say that Japan is… well… Japan.

Be Proud; Wear A Flag Patch of Japan

Tired of trends yet? Embroidered patches are all the rage now in terms of fashion. It’s stylistically in to wear a shirt, blouse, or jacket laden with customized patches. If you are Japanese and proud of your heritage, there are so many online shops that sell embroidered Japanese flag patches. There are also other culturally Japanese-related patches that you may like, and sushi/sashimi is a popular pick. If you decide to go with the flag idea, just make sure you don’t pick anything offensive – the Rising Sun Flag has been known to rile up quite a few people.

Flags are an important part of any country’s history and should be respected. It’s fine that they are raised during holidays, landmarks, and university groups. But those who have been hurt by what it has symbolized should be respected too. In general, people should be both sensitive in the use of sensitive material, but at the same time forgive the mistakes of the past. After all, it’s probably just going to end up being used in a meme – someway, somehow.