Japanese Aviator Hachimaki.
This imprinted piece of silk had many different proposed uses and it could have been used as a scarf or folded and used as a headband, which is more traditionally referred to as a hachimaki in Japanese. The flags that can be seen were stuck in either ends of the scarf and they are two different flags namely the war flag (also known as the Rising Sun) and the national flag.
A headband is a traditional piece of Japanese headgear and it was often worn to symbolize perseverance of effort by anyone who wore it. Scarves on the other hand were usually worn by aviators for more practical reasons such as keeping warm but were also sometimes looked at as a symbol of commitment to fighting as well.
Very little is known about the background of this particular Japanese scarf but it is thought to be a variant of a hinomaru yosegaki - better known to us as a good luck flag. It was acquired as a GI bringback through a purchase along with ZFC0956.
The scarf features the national flag on one end and the war flag or "rising sun" flag on the other. Since the sun disc in the rayed flag is centered rather than offset, this means that it is not a naval item.
Companion piece to ZFC0956
From the Louise Veninga Collection.
ZFC Noteworthy Flag
Sources:
ExordioLa Segunda Guerra Mundial (1939-1945), Rokubetsu Rikusentai - Fuerzas Navales Especiales de Desembarco, 29 August 2012, from:
http://whttp://www.exordio.com/1939-1945/militaris/fuerzas-armadas-JAP/tokubetsu-rikusentai.html
Imperial Japanese Navy, Wikipedia, 29 August 2012, from: http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Japanese_Navy
Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
