Japanese Military Flag
maker
Unknown
Date20th century
Place MadeJapan, East Asia
MediumPrinted plain weave wool with machine stitching
Dimensions138.4 x 114.3 cm (54 1/2 x 45 in.)
ClassificationsTextile Arts
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberT33w30
eMuseum ID717996
EmbARK ObjectID17445
Textile Database Number444
Previous NumberXT20
TMS Source ID5717
Last Updated8/14/24
Status
Not on viewWeb CommentaryThis 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.
ProvenanceNotesGift from jiu-jitsu expert Uchimura Tengan to Isabella Stewart Gardner, 1906.
