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The national flag of Japan, known as the Hinomaru (日章旗 or 日の丸の旗 "sun
disc") in Japanese, is a base white flag with a large red disc (representing
the sun) in the centre. A legend says that its origins lie in the days of
Mongol invasions of Japan in the 13th century, when the Buddhist priest
Nichiren was supposed to have offered the sun disc flag to the Emperor of
Japan, who was considered a descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu. In fact
the sun disc symbol is known to have been displayed on folding fans carried
in the 12th century by samurai involved in the feud between the Taira and
Minamoto clans. It was widely used on military banners in the Sengoku
("Warring States") period of the 15th and 16th centuries. Subsequent
Shogunates established it as the flag to be flown from Japanese ships.
By the time of the Meiji Restoration of 1868, it came to be regarded as
the national flag. Though the sun disc design was officially adopted for use
in naval flags in 1870, it was not formally adopted as the national flag
until August 13, 1999 by a decree that also confirmed its exact dimensions.
A well known variant is the sun disc with 16 red rays which was historically
the flag for use in Japan's military until the end of World War II.
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