WWII Japanese Hinomaru Flag from the Light Cruiser Naka Dated August, 1942
Item #: WR1141
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This is a Japanese Hinomaru "Ball of the Sun" flag from the World War II period. The flag measures 102" wide and 66" high. It is constructed of two panels of white cloth with a dyed red disc in the center, representing the sun. Originally there were three ties on the hoist side of the flag, none of them remain. Two pieces of cloth have been added to the top and bottom corners to act as ties. The colors of the flag are still very vibrant, the red disc especially. The white field shows some very slight staining scattered about. There are two small tears in the flag, one at each corner on the fly end of the flag. There is also some slight fraying along the edges in those areas due to broken stitching. The only area of the flag with moth damage is the red sun emblem. It is fairly significant in the center and lessens out towards the edges. Ink stamped along one edge of the flag is an Imperial Japanese Navy stamp, the name of the ship and the Showa date of 17.8.15. This flag came with a document from a previous seller stating this flag was flown on the WWII Japanese Light Cruiser Naka. The Naka was ordered for the Japanese Navy in 1920, and was completed in the Mitsubishi Yard at Yokohama, Japan in 1925. The Naka supported the invasion of the Philippine Islands as part of the Japanese Navy's 3rd Fleet. During that campaign she was lightly damaged during strafing runs by US aircraft. In January and February of 1942 the Naka supported various landings in the Dutch East Indies, and was involved in the Battle of the Java Sea on 27 February, 1942. On 1 April, 1942 the Naka was hit by a torpedo fired by the USS Seawolf on the starboard side. The damage from the torpedo was severe enough that the Naka had to be towed to Bantam Bay, Java for repairs by the Japanese Cruiser Natori. After temporary repairs the Naka sailed under her won power to Singapore for more repairs before finally sailing for Japan for permanent repairs. The Naka would not return to service until April, 1943 at which time she transported troops in the Central Pacific until early 1944. On 17 February, 1944 the Naka was escorting the damaged light cruiser Agano out of Truk, Caroline Islands when the island was raided by carrier based US aircraft. The Naka was attacked by three waves of planes from the carriers USS Bunker Hill and USS Cowpens, and escaped the first two attacks without damage. During the third wave the Naka was hit by one bomb and one torpedo approximately 35 nautical miles west of Truk. The ship broke in half and sank, taking 240 of the crew with her. Patrol boats managed to rescue 210 men from the water, including the ships Captain. The paperwork that came with the flag states it came from a family in Kobe, Japan. If you have the wall space this would look fantastic with your WWII Japanese or Pacific theater collection.
Your Price $400.00 USD
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