Signed Imperial Japanese Flag (Hinomaru)

Flag facts

• Type: Japanese national flag, captured and later inscribed by U.S. servicemen
• Material & construction: Single-panel silk, machine-stitched hems, leather corner reinforcement remnants present. Printed red disc (not brush-painted). No hoist fittings observed.
• Dimensions: Approx. 95 × 70 cm (~3:2 ratio)
• Condition: Yellowed silk with scattered perforations and fraying. Ink inscriptions partly faded; feathering consistent with pen on silk.
• Inscriptions: Approx. 17 U.S. names with home towns.
• Provenance: Captured in the Pacific theatre; associated with personnel of the 321st Infantry Regiment, 81st Infantry Division.

Historical context

The Imperial Japanese flag (Hinomaru) was frequently seized on Pacific battlefields. Some examples carry Japanese patriotic slogans; this specimen has no Japanese script and instead was later re-inscribed by U.S. servicemen.

The flag is linked to the 321st Infantry Regiment, 81st Infantry Division (“Wildcats”). The division fought from September 1944, notably at Peleliu (Palau) and Angaur, relieving the 1st Marine Division under heavy resistance. After Japan’s surrender in August 1945, the division transferred to occupation duties in the Home Islands. It was inactivated on 30 January 1946. The absence of wartime casualty matches among identified names makes an occupation-era signing (Aug 1945 – Jan 1946) plausible, though a late-campaign signing cannot be excluded.

Technical observations

Silk weave and finish align with mid-Shōwa patriotic production. The red disc is printed onto the silk (uniform edge and dye penetration), not brush-painted. Ink fading and haloing suggest fountain/early ball-point pens on silk. Multiple signing moments are indicated by overlap and orientation changes. No maker’s stamps or arsenal marks are documented.

Placement & usage

Captured item retained at unit level. The collective set of U.S. signatures indicates use as a group record rather than a personal souvenir. The precise time of inscription remains undetermined (late 1944–45 operations vs. 1945–46 occupation).

Maker

Unknown. Likely Japanese manufacture with leather-reinforced corners.

Roster of names (tentative readings)

Selected notes

• Pasquale “Patsy” A. Arone — Born in Italy (1912), immigrated to Niagara Falls in 1929. Married Frances Badalato in 1940. Served three years with the U.S. Army’s 81st Infantry Division in the Pacific and later in occupation duty in Japan. Worked as a cooper for Greif Bros. Corp. for 35 years before retiring in 1977. Died 19 June 1992, buried at St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Niagara Falls, NY. Obituary and family records confirm identification.
• Lawrence James “Larry” DeMatt — Born 12 June 1925, Hazleton, PA; died 9 November 1995. U.S. Army veteran of WWII, reported as wounded in action in official casualty lists. Obituary confirms service and Hazleton residence. No enlistment record located in NARA’s AAD database; identification rests on obituary, SSDI, and casualty documentation. Listed as WIA under the 321st Infantry: “Pvt Lawrence DeMatt” (Appendix II: Wounded in Action). Confirms frontline service and 321st IR assignment.
• Lawrence James “Larry” DeMatt — Listed as WIA under the 321st Infantry: “Pvt Lawrence DeMatt” (Appendix II: Wounded in Action). Confirms frontline service and 321st IR assignment.
• Marvin W. Ramer — Listed as WIA under the 321st Infantry: “Pfc Marvin W. Ramer” (Appendix II). Confirms combat wounding in 321st IR.
• Winston E. Rogers — Listed as WIA under the 321st Infantry: “Pfe Winston E. Rogers” (Appendix II). Corrects earlier misreadings (“Rogens”/“Winsong”).
• Benjamin C. Murawski — Listed as WIA under the 321st Infantry: “Pvt Benjamin C. Murawski” (Appendix II). Confirms combat wounding in 321st IR.
• Elroy Francis Mladek — Staff Sergeant, Company C, 321st Infantry Regiment, 81st Infantry Division. Awarded the Bronze Star Medal (listed in Appendix III: Honors). Unit history records that on 24 September 1944, during the battle of Peleliu, he gunned down five Japanese soldiers and led his squad into an assault position where a further twenty enemy were killed.
• Johnny Dubose Putnam — Identity confirmed via burial record (Charlotte, NC). See: findagrave.com/memorial/130886517.

Detail images

Sources and references

• U.S. Army Center of Military History, Combat Chronicle of the 81st Infantry Division.
• The 81st Infantry Wildcat Division in World War II (1948 unit history; Appendix III lists Elroy F. Mladek, Co. C 321 Inf., Bronze Star Medal).
• NARA WWII Enlistment Records and Casualty Reports.
• Buffalo News obituary, 19 June 1992 – Patsy A. Arone, 81st Infantry Division veteran (occupation forces in Japan).
• Find A Grave: Pasquale A. Arone — memorial/136647703.
• Find A Grave: Johnny Dubose Putnam — memorial/130886517.
• Social Security Death Index & Pennsylvania vital records entries for Lawrence J. DeMatt (1925–1995).
• Hazleton Standard-Speaker obituary, 11 Nov 1995 – Lawrence J. DeMatt.
• 81st Infantry Division award and WIA appendices (Army records, 1945).
• Photographic documentation (FlagGeek project, 2023).

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September 28th, 2025