Japan Orbit: Information about Japanese Culture, Japanese History, and Travel in Japan Japan Orbit: Information about Japanese Culture, Japanese History, and Travel in Japan
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Japan Flag

The National Flag

The national flag of Japan has a crimson disc, symbolizing the sun, in the center of a white field. It is known as the Hinomaru (literally meaning ‘sun disc’).

It is said that at the time of the Mongol Invasions of Japan, between 1274 and 1281 the priest Nichiren presented a sun flag to the shogun. The Tokugawa shogunate (1603-1867) adopted the flag for its ships in the early 1600s.

In the mid-19th century the shogunate decreed that all Japanese ships fly flags with the sun on a white field. In 1870 the Meiji government officially designated it for use on Japanese merchant and naval ships.

It has never been officially designated as the national flag; however, it has become so by customary use. The "rising-sun" flag with 16 rays used by the former Japanese navy and by the present Maritime Self Defense Forces is a military service flag and it is not be confused with the national flag.

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