The white silhouette of Shizuoka with the orange Fuji inside it, on a blue field: a flag that is a map, approved in 1968.
Every fact about the flag, each with what it means.
Normal flagFIAV symbol: the form of the flag.
CivilFIAV symbol: who may fly the flag.YesIt carries the coat of arms on the cloth.The flag in the words of vexillology and heraldry.
It is a rectangular field with a 2:3 ratio in blue, with a white silhouette in the centre and Mount Fuji in orange inside it.
Each element and how many of the 1,390 flags in the catalogue carry it. In yellow, the rarest.
How it was born, how it has changed and what it means.
The flag of Shizuoka is a map: the white silhouette of the prefecture on a blue field, and inside it Mount Fuji drawn in orange. Few Japanese flags depict their own territory so literally.
In 1968 the prefecture organised a competition open only to local residents: 6,915 entries arrived and a study committee chose this one. The emblem was approved on 6 August 1968, the flag twenty days later, on the 26th, and on 17 September the three symbols —emblem, flag and the prefecture’s anthem— were published together in the official bulletin.
It has not changed since 1968.
White map
the territory of the prefecture, exaggerated in its three most recognisable features: the Izu peninsula, Suruga Bay and Cape Omaezaki (official interpretation).
Orange Fuji
the bright light of the sun and the passion and unity of the people (official interpretation).
Blue
the endless sky and the Pacific Ocean.
The current map with Fuji was chosen in 1968 out of 6,915 entries received in a competition called within the prefecture itself.
At major national championships, Shizuoka’s teams do not fly the prefectural flag: they use an orange one with the symbol of the prefectural sports association.
Test what you have read about the flag of Shizuoka.
Sources consulted:
Flag image: Mike Rohsopht Insignia This image shows a flag, a coat of arms, a seal or some other official insignia. The use of such symbols is restricted in many countries. These restrictions are independent of the copyright status. Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse This work is ineligible for copyright and therefore in the public domain because it consists entirely of information that is common property and contains no original authorship., Wikimedia Commons · Public domain.
