Flag of Japan

The flag of Japan is one of the simplest in the world: a red circle in the centre of a white field. The circle is the sun. The Japanese call it Hinomaru, ‘the circle of the sun’, although its official name is Nisshōki, ‘the flag of the sun’.

How it came about

The sun has been tied to Japan for many centuries. The name of the country in Japanese, Nihon, means ‘origin of the sun’, which is why it is known as ‘the land of the rising sun’. Also, according to Shinto tradition, the emperors descend from Amaterasu, the sun goddess.

Samurai and feudal lords were already painting sun discs on their fans and standards. In 1854, when the United States forced Japan to open up to foreign trade, the government ordered Japanese ships to carry the red disc so as to be distinguishable from foreign ones. In 1870 it became the official flag of merchant ships and from then on it worked as the flag of the country. But no law declared it the national flag until 1999.

How it has changed

The drawing has been the same for more than 150 years. Only its measurements have been touched up.

1. 1854

   The government orders Japanese ships to hoist a red disc on a white field to be distinguishable from foreign ships.

2. 

   1870-1999

   The first rule fixes its measurements: the flag is a little longer than the current one and the disc is slightly shifted towards the flagpole.

3. 

   1999

   A law finally declares it the national flag. It comes to measure two high by three long and the disc sits exactly in the centre.

What it means

The 1999 law describes the flag but does not explain what it means. The traditional interpretation is this:

• Red disc

  the sun, tied to the name of the country and to the goddess Amaterasu. The law only says it is an intense red, without fixing the exact tone.

• White field

  according to a popular reading, purity and honesty. It is not an official meaning.

Fun facts

1. A flag you can eat

   In 1937, during the war with China, the Hinomaru bentō became popular: a box of white rice with a red pickled plum in the centre. It was a simple meal and a way of showing support for the soldiers.

2. Signatures around the sun

   In the Second World War, relatives and friends gave soldiers a flag covered in signatures and good wishes, the Hinomaru yosegaki. The custom said that nobody could write over the red disc.

3. Retouched for the Olympic Games

   Before the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, the colour expert Tadamasa Fukiura reviewed the size and the tone of the disc so that it would stand out next to the flags of the other countries.

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