Help with writing on Japanese battle flag

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John Stroman

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May 17, 2024, 7:26:08 AMMay 17
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Fellow 'Yakkers,

A friend told me today that his deceased father-in-law was one of the marines who landed on Iwo Jima in WWII and was later part of the Occupation. He brought home a battle flag, which his children have preserved. The cursive script on the top is clear, but I cannot decipher the script along the bottom that seems to describe the military unit's origin.

Any help appreciated

John Stroman
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japanese flag.jpg

Bill Lise

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May 17, 2024, 8:08:59 AMMay 17
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It appears not to be his unit, but rather a section (○❌町分会) of a local (郷) group that gave him the flag. Hint 軍神, although it’s unclear to me whether this guy became a 軍神. They certainly wouldn’t be able to hand him the flag if he was a 軍神 at the time of his mobilization, the celebration of which this flag represents, as indicated at the top 
Bill Lise 
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Bill Lise
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Hart Larrabee

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May 17, 2024, 8:33:56 AMMay 17
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No particular area expertise, but the line along the bottom looks to me like 郷軍神埼町分会, where:

郷軍 is an abbreviation for 在郷軍人, here meaning “reservist” or "reserves."
See:

神埼町 is presumably the name of the town the soldier was from. Appears to be located in Saga Prefecture and read Kanzaki-machi. 

分会 means branch.

So I’d propose something along the lines of the Kanzaki Branch of the Military Reserve Association.

Good luck!

Hart Larrabee
Nagano, Japan

Bill Lise

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May 17, 2024, 8:39:41 AMMay 17
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Kanzaki! Sounds good. 


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Motohiro Kojima

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May 17, 2024, 8:49:08 AMMay 17
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Original characters on the flag: 郷軍神埼町分會

"會" is the old character of "会", which began to be used after the war.

On Fri, 17 May 2024 21:33:37 +0900
Hart Larrabee様 wrote:
|No particular area expertise, but the line along the bottom looks to me like 郷軍神埼町分会, where:

2024.05.17 21:43:55
===================================
小島基弘 <mthr...@imoduru.net>

John Stroman

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May 17, 2024, 6:07:05 PMMay 17
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Many thanks to everyone who responded. I will convey the information to my friend.
John Stroman
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Alexandra McCullough

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May 21, 2024, 1:04:25 AMMay 21
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You may also want to suggest your friend get in touch with the Obon Society, which does great work returning these yosegaki hinomaru to the families of the soldiers who died, since many see them as a sort of extension of that soldier’s soul. 


They are nonprofit that specialize in the return of specifically this kind of so-called non-biological human remains, and take really great care with each case. I’ve interviewed people who found these flags among their relatives’ possessions and then worked with the Obon Society, and they had a very powerful experience being a part of that return. 

Alexandra McCullough-Garcia 
Translator, Editor
Skype: alexandrarenee30


John Stroman

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May 21, 2024, 6:29:55 AMMay 21
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Alexandra,

Thank you for the suggestion. I think that returning the flag would be very appropriate.

I will pass the message along to my friend. Unfortunately, as you can see from the image I uploaded, the flag was signed by many American GIs who served during the Occupation.

Best regards,

John Stroman
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