WW2 Japanese Banzai Flag

These carried-in-battle national flags are considered highly spiritual talismans.

They were most often made by friends and family. These were given as gifts to departing soldiers and sailors as they left their family & friends to join the military.

The Japanese population fully supported their soldiers & sailors by making thousand stitch belts, going off to war banners, comfort bags loaded with goodies and collecting signatures on flags like this one to be given to servicemen.

They typically bore words of encouragement, calls for bravery, honor, loyalty etc. They were often signed so that the signatures radiated away from the sun just as the rays of the sun appear to radiated away on the rising sun flag.

These were carried folded up and tucked at the top of the helmet, worn around the neck, carried in the tunic, haversack, packs & pouches and eventually tied to the rifle or bayonet in the final Banzai charge as a way to protect the bearer.

The large Kanji 贈 in the upper right means gift.
Below this is the name of the soldier to whom it was presented.

The Kanji 根室銃後奉公會 on the bottom right is Nemoru Home Army.  Nemoru is a costal city in Japan.