Flags of Hope

Museum Textile Services recently had occasion to conserve three flags from the collection of the Brown Family. Included among these was a Japanese Peace flag, or hinomaru yosegaki, meaning “To write sideways around the red sun.” This name describes the appearance of the flag, with written messages radiating from the center. The Good Luck Flag was a traditional gift to members of the Japanese military during the time of the Empire of Japan. Many were collected as souvenirs by members of the American, British, and Australian military while fighting the ardent Japanese forces during World War Two. 

The Brown flag after conservation. Four of the twenty-four small holes can barely be seen in the red sun.

The Brown flag during conservation. The bold aymbols on the top record the name of the family. Those on the right are the name of the soldier.

​Although these flags have been found to date as early as the first Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, they are most commonly associated with the second Sino-Japanese War of 1937-1945. They are the national flag of Japan, and were produced from varying materials to be carried with the man-off-to-war in his personal effects. The Brown's flag was made of cotton, and a translation of the writing tells us it was given to Yoshio Kojima from his family, friends, co-workers, and employer. 

Written throughout are hopeful messages, such as “Give seven lives for Your Country,” “Please work with good health,” and “Take care.” The flag served as a type of talisman for the recipient--every time the flag was unfolded and the soldier saw the exhortations and signatures, it was thought to galvanize the soldier to do his duty and see him through the challenging times of war. 

Richard K. Brown passed this flag down to his sons. Richard was born on May 18, 1917, in Ohio.  He graduated from University High School in Ann Arbor in 1935 and graduated in 1940 from the University of Michigan with a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering. In 1941, Richard joined the Army but was able to attend courses at Harvard's Underwater Sound Lab as research associate, testing anti-submarine sonar for the Navy and Army Air Corps. He later went on to attend MIT and a secret course at the Bell Lab School. With all this education under his belt, 1st Lieutenant Richard K. Brown entered active service on March 31, 1943.  

The Brown flag folded to show that all of the holes line up.

As a Radar Observer, Brown flew 14 combat missions over the Philippines in a specially equipped B-24 bomber, looking for enemy radar stations. Brown commanded the radar countermeasures for six bomb groups under the Fifth Bomber Command. 1st Lt. Brown was honorably discharged on February 27, 1946. He passed away in 1991 and is interred in Ann Arbor, Michigan. ​How this flag originally came to be owned by Lt. Brown we may never know. But this flag represents two men from two different worlds, who sacrificed for the preservation of those worlds. This is especially poignant in light of evidence that the flag is battle damaged. When folded small enough to fit into a pocket, the 24 small holes all line up, as if they were made at the same moment from a bullet or other projectile. 

A different Japanese Peace flag conserved by MTS. This example is made of silk and belongs to the Boston Marine Society.

This flag was conserved and mounted by MTS in 2015. It was captured in the Philippines by Sgt. William Schrock. It is made from Rayon and likely dates to the end of the war.

This Japanese flag is unusual in it's shape. It is made of silk and belongs to a private collector in Massachusetts. It was conserved and mounted at MTS in 2010.

​Museum Textile Services has had the honor of conserving four of these historic artifacts, one from a museum and three from private citizens. Two of the flags were made of silk, one of cotton, and one of rayon. These flags represent the men who carried them in the larger historical landscape of World War Two and were conserved to preserve the legacies of the two men fighting from different sides of the world, for their countries. 
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​Dylan M. Almendral is a military historian and collector of stories from World War One through the Vietnam conflict. He is co-founder of the American Legacy Museum in California. Dylan interned at Museum Textile Services in Spring, 2016.