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Houseflags of Japanese shipping companies

Last modified: 2023-06-03 by zachary harden
Keywords: maritime shipping |
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These house flags from a ships directory chart published by the Japanese government and appearing in the brochure/book Fune to Hata (Ships and Flags) published by the Nihon Maru Memorial Foundation in 1994 following an exhibit at the Yokahama Maritime Museum by the same name and during the same year. Photocopies of the charts were provided by Nozomi Kariyasu for these images.. Three charts are devoted to Japanese flags.

The images in the photocopies are small, therefore only 34 are either not repeated or are of enough clarity to allow their representation. In some instances, the location of objects on the flag are the best approximation available.
Phil Nelson, 11 February 2002

See also:


Uda Tomoshiro

[Uda Tomoshiro]
by Phil Nelson


Ukon Gonsaemon

[Akita Kisen K.K.]
by Phil Nelson


Uwajima Unyu K.K.

[Uwajima Unyu K.K.]
by Phil Nelson

A white flag with something black in the center that I could bet hard to be a kanji character. It looks a lot like the chinese character yu (宇).

The Uwajima Unyu seems to have a website and apparently operates ferries between the islands of Kyushu and Shikoku. More to the point, if you scroll down the page, you'll see what must be the current flag of this company: a red-white-red horizontal triband with a wide white band and a black character in the center.
Jorge Candieas, 4 July 2006

See also: image from Flags, Funnels and Hull Colours, (1963)


Watanabe Masajiro

[Watanabe Masajiro]
by Phil Nelson

Similar to Akita Kisen K.K. except the image shows slightly smaller discs.


Yamagata Yusaburo

[Yamagata Yusaburo]
by Phil Nelson


Yoshida Saburoemon

[Yoshida Saburoemon]
by Phil Nelson

The flag is white with a red kanji character horizontally centered, but shifted to the top, which looks suspiciously like the character 吉).
Jorge Candeias, 13 July 2006


This character is the "yoshi" of the surname/place name Yoshida 吉田, so it would make sense.
Jonathan Dixon, 15 July 2006