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Lovely WW2 Japanese Send Off Flag with
Kikusui/Minatogawa imagery in the center.
Presented to Kenji Onuma.
Quality Brushwork Art with the Seal of Kusai Enoishi. Measures 29x34 inches. Fringe along the edge. Hard to come across these.
Center Characters
報國 (Hōkoku)
Translation: Serve the Nation / Patriotic Service
七生 (Shichisei) — Part of the famous slogan Shichisei Hōkoku (七生報國)
Translation: Seven Lives (Refers to "Would that I had seven lives to give for my country", a famous motto derived from Kusunoki Masashige)
The central crest depicts the Kikusui / Chrysanthemum on Water motif, historically associated with Kusunoki Masashige and widely used by IJN Special Attack Forces / Kamikaze units
Bottom Right characters
祝 入営 (Iwai Nyūei)
Translation: Congratulations on Enlistment / Conscription
大沼 健治 君 (Ōnuma Kenji-kun)
Translation: Mr. Kenji Onuma (The recipient of the banner)
Corner Characters
草井 ゑの石 (Kusai Enoishi)
Translation: Calligraphic signature/pen-name of the writer
印 (Red Seal Stamped at Bottom Left)
Artist/calligrapher's vermilion seal (hanko) authenticating the brushwork.
