Flag of Fukui

The flag of Fukui is a white circle on a dark blue, almost indigo field. Looked at calmly, it is not a simple ring: the strokes form the katakana フ・ク・イ (fukui), the three syllables of the name of the prefecture tied into a single figure.

How it came about

The emblem of the prefecture was approved on 28 March 1952, and the announcement was brief but complete: in its notes it stated that, when used as a flag, the field should be indigo blue with the drawing in white. So flag and emblem were born on the same day and out of the same paperwork, something not unusual in Japan.

How it has changed

It has not changed since 1952.

What it means

• White circle

  according to the official explanation, it looks like a leaf sprouting between its first two little leaves, and holds inside the prefecture’s wish for development; it has also been read as the harmony and cooperation of its people.

• Indigo and white

  the two colours that the 1952 announcement itself fixed for the flag.

Fun facts

1. The first emblem with mandatory colours

   Fukui’s is thought to have been the first Japanese prefectural emblem to fix its colours in use: indigo or black. Before that, each prefecture chose the shade on the spur of the moment.

2. A flag you can read

   Many of Japan’s prefectural flags are the letters of the name turned into a drawing; Fukui’s is one of the most literal: it spells out フ・ク・イ.

Location