Japanese
Japanese Military Flag, 20th century
Printed plain weave wool with machine stitching, 138.4 x 114.3 cm (54 1/2 x 45 in.)
This wool flag, “Hinomaru,” as the national flag of Japan is called, shows a large scarlet circle, representing the sun, in the center of a white (slightly discolored) rectangular horizontal background.
Vatichino
Commentary
This 20th-century Japanese military is a striking contrast to the rest of the bric-a-brac in the Vatichino gallery. The flag was a gift from jiu-jitsu expert Uchimura Tengan to Isabella Stewart Gardner. He famously gave Gardner private lessons in jiu-jitsu. The “Hinomaru,” as the national flag of Japan is called, consists of a large red disk, representing the sun, in the center of a white rectangular horizontal background. Many of the gifts Gardner’s friends gave her were stored in the Vatichino, and remain there today.