Rising Sun Flag
The design of the Rising Sun Flag (Asahi) has been widely used since ancient times, and a part of it was called and used as the samurai's crest (). The flag was especially used by samurai in the Kyushu region. Examples include the "twelve sun-rays" () of the Ryūzōji clan (1186–1607 CE) in Hizen Province and the Kusano clan () in Chikugo Province, and the "eight sun-rays" () of the Kikuchi clan (1070–1554 CE) in Higo Province. There is a theory that in many parts of the Kyushu region, Hizen and Higo are related to what was called "the country of Japan ()".There have been many types of Asahi flags since ancient times, and the design in which light rays spread in all directions without clouds expresses honored day or auspicious events, and was a design that was used for celebrate a good catch, childbirth and seasonal festivities. A well-known variant of the flag of the sun disc design is the sun disc with 16 red rays in a Siemens star formation. The has been used as a traditional national symbol of Japan since at least the Edo period (1603 CE). It is featured in artwork such as prints, one example being the "Lucky Gods' visit to Enoshima" print by Utagawa Yoshiiku in 1869 and the "One Hundred Views of Osaka, Three Great Bridges" print by Utagawa Kunikazu in 1854. The Fujiyama Tea Co. used it as a wooden box label of Japanese green tea for export in the Meiji period (1880s).The Rising Sun Flag was historically used by the and Japan's military, particularly the Imperial Japanese Army and the Imperial Japanese Navy. The ensign, known in Japanese as the , was first adopted as the war flag on May 15, 1870, and was used until the end of World War II in 1945. It was re-adopted on June 30, 1954, and is now used by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). The Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) use a variation of the Rising Sun Flag with red, white and gold colors.