Flag of Japan
Japan’s national flag is a white field bearing a red disc, called the hinomaru, that represents the sun.
Hinomaru: A Japanese term for the sun-disc motif used on Japan’s flag. Names the red disc motif at the center of the flag’s design.
Amaterasu: The Shinto sun deity and a central figure in Japanese mythology. The national sun motif is often discussed alongside Japan’s traditional sun symbolism.
Rising Sun Flag: A Japanese flag design with a red sun and rays, used by military forces and associated with imperial Japan. Its rays distinguish it from the plain red disc of the national flag.
National flag: A flag officially representing a sovereign state or its people. The hinomaru is Japan’s national symbol within this broader class.
Meiji Restoration: The political transformation beginning in 1868 that restored imperial rule and created a centralized Japanese state. The new state formalized the flag’s use during Japan’s rapid modernization.
Japanese imperialism: Japan’s expansion of political and military control across Asia from the late nineteenth century through 1945. The flag’s wartime use links it to memories of imperial rule and occupation.
Flag of Bangladesh: Bangladesh’s national flag, a green field bearing a red disc that represents the sun and sacrifice. Its red disc resembles the hinomaru, but the field and symbolism differ.
Flag protocol: Rules and customs governing the display, handling, and honoring of flags. Protocol determines how the hinomaru is raised, displayed, and treated officially.
Japanese merchant flag: The national ensign flown by Japanese merchant vessels, consisting of a red sun disc on white. Commercial shipping received an early official designation for the sun-disc flag.
Japanese nationalism: Political movements and ideas that emphasize Japanese national identity, sovereignty, and unity. Disputes over the flag’s public use often express competing views of national identity.