Bandera de Saga

A dark green field with a white flower with a vermilion heart: the flag of Saga depicts a camellia flower, the tree most characteristic of this small prefecture in the northwest of Kyushu, in the south of Japan.

How it came about

The prefecture approved the flag on 11 December 1968 by official notification. The drawing is the camellia flower, the official tree of Saga and also its prefectural flower.

The flag, however, does not use the prefectural emblem: that one was earlier, from 1936, and was never withdrawn. Saga is one of the few Japanese prefectures with two distinct symbols: an old emblem and a more modern flag that do not resemble each other.

How it has changed

The flag has not changed since 1968, and no earlier versions of it are known.

What it means

The prefecture explained the symbolism of the flower when it approved it:

• White petals

  they mean “uprightness” and “cleanliness”.

• Vermilion stamens and pistil

  they represent “sincerity” and “passion”.

• Six petals and six stamens

  their number and shape express “harmony and vigorous development”.

• Dark green

  the ground; Flags of the World attributes hope and peace to it, but I could not confirm that in the prefectural explanation.

Fun facts

1. Three ka that wish for prosperity

   The emblem of 1936 gathers three katakana 「カ」 in a circle, like people holding hands: it is cooperation and, read together, they recall 「sakae」, to prosper, in Japanese

2. A symbol from 1992 that beat the flag

   In 1992 Saga approved a third design, the green ring “circle of rich expansion”; today the government uses it more than the 1936 emblem in its communications

3. The flower measures five sevenths

   The 1968 notification also fixed the measurements: a flag with a 2:3 ratio and a central flower five sevenths of the height of the field

Localisation