History

• While the origin of the flag is unknown, the earliest historical reference to the banner with a single red dot dates back to 607, when Prince Shotoku sent a letter with the dot to the Emperor. Included as a message was the phrase "from the prince of the rising sun."
  
  

Legend

• A legend reported from the time of the Mongolian invasion during the 13th century states that a Buddhist priest named Nichiren gave a banner with a red dot on it to the shogun as they went into battle.
  
  

Considerations

• It wasn't until 1870 that the Hinomaru became the legal national flag of Japan. The red dot was used during the period of the Meiji Restoration, when Japan began to become a major power in the Asian world and established its basis of an empire.
  
  

Identification

• During World War II, the Hinomaru was accented with the sun's rays spreading out from the red dot in the center. These flags were used primarily aboard naval ships and represented the rising sun expanding its light over more of the world.
  
  

Effects

• During the postwar era, the flag was essentially disregarded for many years. This was partly to do with an overall loss of national pride. During the end of the 20th century, many Japanese politicians began to push for the re-adoption of the flag as a national symbol. In 1999, the Law Concerning the National Flag and Anthem was passed.