Flag of Niigata

The flag of Niigata is a red field with a golden drawing in the centre: a kanji and two characters of the katakana syllabary linked like a necklace, which together write the name of the prefecture. It is the flag of a province on the coast of the Sea of Japan, in the north of the island of Honshu.

How it came about

The emblem and the flag were approved together by prefectural announcement on 23 August 1963. The drawing begins with the kanji 新 (Nii), the first syllable of Niigata, written in loose calligraphy, and is finished off by the katakana ガ and タ (gata). That closed shape, almost a necklace, represents the harmony and hope of the people and the unobstructed development of the prefecture, according to the official explanation.

How it has changed

It has not changed since 1963, although in 1992 the prefecture launched a modern symbol —a fan over a blue disc— which today is used more than the old emblem; the flag, however, still displays that of 1963.

What it means

• Golden ornament

  the harmony and hope of the people and the fluid development of the prefecture (official interpretation).

• Red

  the ground of the field. I have not found an official explanation for this colour.

Fun facts

1. A symbol from 1992 that beat the old one

   The new symbol mark, the work of the graphic designer Kazumasa Nagai, draws the culture and information of the prefecture spreading across the world; it was approved on 27 March 1992, but the flag was never changed to follow it.

2. The emblem can also be white

   Its official colour is gold, but the rules of the prefecture allow a plain white version, so it is not rare to see the drawing in white on the red field.

Localisation