WW2 Japanese Silk Banzai Flag Carried In Helmet – Bloodied & Battle Damage

This is a WW2 Japanese flag with blood staining caused by a head wound from a bullet or shrapnel damage.

Japanese soldiers and naval land based personnel, like the Naval Landing Forces, often carried Hinomaru flags neatly folded & tucked between the liner and the shell of their helmets.

Superstition was thought to protect those who carried their nation’s flag from injury or death.

You can see how it was folded up when the Japanese service member was hit!

The wartime photo here shows how another similar folded flag was carried by a soldier in his helmet and how a bullet or piece of shrapnel damaged and blood stained it.

As you know it does not take more than a small piece of shrapnel to penetrate a Japanese helmet and cause death or a serious head wound. In addition to blood, cerebral fluid is also anticipated in such head wounds leading to varying colors of stains.

Tie strings are present so you can display this flag.