Flag of Japan
Hinomaru ("circle of the sun"); officially Nisshoki ("sun flag")
A white flag with a single red disc in the exact centre.
At a glance
- Adopted
- August 13, 1999made official by law in 1999; used as the flag of Japanese ships since 1870 and as the national flag by custom
- Shape (height : width)
- 2:3
- Capital
- Tokyo
- Continent
- Asia
- Colours
- deep red
- white
What it means
- Red disc: the sun; Japan is called the "Land of the Rising Sun", and in old tradition the imperial family was said to descend from the sun goddess Amaterasu
- White: the background; no separate official meaning is given in the law
Where it came from
Nobody knows exactly who first made the flag. The rising sun has stood for Japan since at least the 600s; a letter sent to China in 607 came from "the Emperor of the rising sun".
A court record says a sun flag was used in 701, and one well-known theory says that in the 1100s the Genji clan fought under a white flag with a red circle. The oldest surviving Hinomaru is kept at Unpo-ji temple in Yamanashi.
History
In 1854 Japanese ships were told to fly the Hinomaru so they could be told apart from foreign ships. In 1870 the new Meiji government made it the flag for merchant ships and the navy. The first merchant version was 7:10 with the disc a tiny bit toward the pole.
For more than a century it served as the national flag only by custom. The Act on National Flag and Anthem of 1999 made it official, with a 2:3 shape and a centred disc three-fifths as tall as the flag.
Fun facts
- The disc's width is exactly three-fifths of the flag's height.
- A lunch of white rice with one red pickled plum in the middle is called a Hinomaru bento.
- The rising-sun flag with 16 rays is a military flag, not the national flag.
- Until 1999 Japan had no law naming its national flag.
Easy to mix up with
Bangladesh: Bangladesh has a red disc too, but on green, placed a little toward the pole
Questions
What does the flag of Japan look like?
A white flag with a single red disc in the exact centre.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Japan mean?
Red disc: the sun; Japan is called the "Land of the Rising Sun", and in old tradition the imperial family was said to descend from the sun goddess Amaterasu; White: the background; no separate official meaning is given in the law.
When was the flag of Japan adopted?
The current flag of Japan was adopted on August 13, 1999. (made official by law in 1999; used as the flag of Japanese ships since 1870 and as the national flag by custom)
What colours are on the flag of Japan?
The flag of Japan uses deep red and white.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Japan?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Bangladesh. Bangladesh has a red disc too, but on green, placed a little toward the pole
Famous landmarks in Japan
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)