Many know the flag Hinomaru, which has been Japan’s current flag since 1870. However, before this flag came into use, there were other flags or symbols used to represent the country, some separate territory, or some specific period in Japanese history.
Check out the timeline of Japanese flags below:
Note: Japan only began using a national flag during the period of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Before that, Japan, having been governed by different clans, had emblems known as Mon (紋 lit.: “crest”) that represented the clans that ruled during their respective periods, but it is not known if they were considered a national symbol.
Table of Contents
1. Kamakura Shogunate (1185 – 1333)
Initially, this was the emblem used to represent the Minamoto clan that governed Japan between the 12th and 14th centuries.
Later, due to the fall of the Minamoto clan caused by a coup by the Ashikaga clan in 1333, Japan was left without a symbol to represent it as there was no government between 1333 and 1336.
Then, in 1336, Takauji Ashikaga took power and established a new shogunate, and a new emblem was imposed to represent the new government.
2. Ashikaga Shogunate (1336 – 1573)
This was the emblem that represented the government of the Ashikaga clan between the 14th and 16th centuries. However, the emblem stopped being used after Yoshiaki Ashikaga was deposed, thus beginning the Azuchi-Momoyama period.
3. Azuchi-Momoyama Period (1573 – 1600)
The Oda clan and the Toyotomi clan were responsible for the end of the Ashikaga Shogunate and thus governed Japan for 27 years. Subsequently, Japan had two emblems to represent the government of the two clans.
In 1600, the Azuchi-Momoyama period came to an end, and the Tokugawa clan established a new shogunate.
4. Tokugawa Shogunate (1600 – 1868)
For the first time, Japan had a flag to represent its state. The flag of the Tokugawa Shogunate is white with a black stripe in the middle.
However, despite having a flag to represent this period, generally the Mon of the Tokugawa Clan is used to represent the period in the historical context.
Subsequently, the flag and emblem were replaced by the Hinomaru after the Meiji Restoration in 1868, which is used to this day.
5. Empire of Japan (1868 – 1947)
The Hinomaru is white with a red disc that represents the Rising Sun. The flag was first used in 1870, after the end of feudal Japan and the Meiji Restoration. Officially, it was named Nisshōki (日章旗 lit.: “Flag of the Sun’s Mark”), however, it was only considered official in 1999, many years after the dissolution of the Imperial Japan.
In the image above on the right is the kyokujitsuki (Rising Sun Flag). It is officially used by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
However, the Kyokujitsuki also carries the nationalist and imperialist sentiment of Japan, especially in World War I and II as it was used by the Japanese army during those times.
Thus, the liberal use of the Kyokujitsuki in Japan today has become controversial in China and Korea due to historical conflicts.
6. Hinomaru Flag (1947 – present)
The current flag is a modified version of the Hinomaru and was officially adopted only in 1999. Its origin goes back a long time before, it was in 1870 that Hinomaru was first officially recognized as a merchant flag. It took more than 100 years to become the official symbol of Japan.
If you want to know more about the Japanese flag, we have an article that talks about the curiosities of the flag of Japan. If you liked the article, share it and leave your comments.
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