The Four Tribal Elements: Part II

In a previous post, a new type of flag was displayed to show the 'four elements' of a persons general ethnic identity, using the metaphor of a ship.

Since then, two new flags have been added, the jack and the ensign. The jack is the flag at the front-forward part of the ship. Remember Jack from the Titanic when he was flying with Rose? In ship code they call it the bow.

The flag at the other end, the rear of the ship, is usually called an ensign - sort of like "end-sign." I call this part of the ship the Rudder or Propeller-side. (In making it harder than it needs to be & our secret snob code) Mariners call it the stern.


Anyways at the bow of this ship, in the jack position is the Soviet Jack of 1969 (the Commies had two jack designs, just like the Confederacy). In my flag sail matrix-code the jack represents where the person was born regardless if he or she was a proper citizen of the place. The jack Flag represents the geographical position of the place of birth. This person was born July 4, 1969 in Kazakhstan. The jack is simply the geographical position at birth.

Also, the jack is next to the faith sail of mommy - who was a Catholic. At the other end of the ship is the astrological sign of this person - Cancer. Why an astrological flag? It simply points to the geography of the cosmos at the time of birth. Wouldn't one think the position of ones earth bound coordinates are just as important as the cosmological geography of the heavens at the moment of birth? Besides the jack is next to 'mother' earth while the ensign is next the ones 'heavenly' father.

Let's suppose the back story on this person is - his father was a part of an American Diplomatic mission to the Soviet Union. His mom and dad were stationed at the US Embassy in Moscow, but they were on a guided tour of the Soviet Union when mom gave birth two weeks early, on a train while passing though Kazakhstan. With the blessings of his Lutheran Dad and Catholic Mom, he married a rich Jewish Girl and subsequently converted to the Faith of Abraham - Version 1.0

Link to "The Four Tribal Elements: Part I"

The Mailbox Flag - with a NAVA flare

The mailbox flag is one special vexilloid so common that is often overlooked as being a flag. Most mailboxes have red flags, but there are a few that simply have red 'poles.' The association of a red flag our mailbox is so strong that even electronic mail continues to use virtual flags with email icons.

Mail Box Flag
painted with NAVA Colours

The mailbox to the right has been altered a bit - it has been painted with the NAVA Flag colours! Most mailbox flags are made out of metal, but I have seen a few wooden ones. Sometimes the 'flag' is just a red arm. But if you look around most mailbox flags are red and made out of metal.

April is Aries Month

Arms of Schaffhausen

The shield of arms with the Aries "Ram" on it belongs to the most northern Swiss Canton of Schaffhausen. It features a black ram standing on its back legs with a red tongue sticking out with and excited male gonadal tissue.

Most of the inhabitants speak German, the most spoken tongue of Switzerland.

The Swiss Canton of Scaffhausen famously had a reverse wood cut print made in 1521, by Urs Graf & Hans Holbein.

Note the Virgin Mary in the canton of this Swiss Canton

Japanese Prefectural Flag Twins - Saga & Kyoto: Part 11

This is the final pair of Japanese Prefectural flags compared in the blog thread. It may seem odd at first but the partner of Kyoto is Saga Prefecture. The rich dynamic is like a farm girl vs a princess.

Kyoto is the number one destination of tourist travel in Japan. During the feudal era, Kyoto was the Imperial Seat and cultural hot spot beyond compare. Romantic writers, geisha, temples, poets, artists, Samurai, and nearly everything associated with classical Japan has a deep association or connection with Kyoto.

Saga on the other hand is the polar opposite (mecca-ly speaking), rarely is there any international or domestic travel to Saga. Saga is very much off the beaten path. And Saga is one of the least populated prefectures of Japan. This is also a blessing, because the natural beauty of Japan is conserved - Saga is populated with rice paddies, vast bamboo grooves, and friendly locals. The outfit the Japanese farm girls is stunning in its own way, just as stunning to the out fit of the geisha (see the video below and pause it!).

Flag of Kyoto

The common element between the flag of Saga and Kyoto is a six petaled white flower. Both have a mini-hi no maru in the center. Saga's is red while Kyoto's is gold. In between the mini-hi no maru are patterns that flow with the shape of the flower.

Flag of Saga

Saga has six red U-shaped parabola's facing outwards while Kyoto has a complete golden sine wave. Their background colours differ. But also harmonize as semi-Christmas colours. Saga's green blends well with Kyoto's reddish tint.

Close up of Saga's Mini 'Hi no Maru'

You could argue that the national banner is 'hidden' within the flag of Saga - if you zoom in really closely.Because, in the center of the white flowers is a red disc. This is the only flag of Japan to have a complete mini-chichai 'hi no maru.' The petals also have red streaks. The gold streak of Kyoto is totally connected. It looks like a convoluted asterisk, or 70s style flower power symbol. But for Saga - their are six red streaks, that look like six letter U's.

Kyoto is world famous because it was the cultural heartland of Japan. It carries the intrinsic echo of Emperors, Geisha, poets, artists, and craftsmen - who define Japanese Culture by their art. Saga on the other hand is and was Japan's Breadbasket (aka Japanese-Kansas). The pace of life is sweetly slow. Slow and unpopular as Saga may seem, Saga played a key role in the modernization of Japan. After the forced entry-arrival of America at Yokohama -Saga was destined to give Japan her famous "Seven wise men from Saga" who helped Japan adapt and modernize to the 'Western Barbarians.'

These men of Saga played key roles in the modernization of Japan in a crash course of studying Western Ways in 30 years. Note that the West had nearly 500 years to become "modern" in a natural way. Japan did it in less than one generation. In less than 30 years they mastered European Technologies, founded the Japanese Red Cross, established a Western style of Education System, and created a modern judicial system.

Saga was the original gateway to modern Japan by the gracious will of "Seven wise men from Saga," and Kyoto is the traditional gateway to ancient Japan.

Video Collage of Kyoto and Saga - play them together if you can
& mute Saga if you do! And let both load up before playing!

KYOTO ----------------------- SAGA

Japanese Prefectural Flag Twins - Hiroshima & Kumamoto: Part 10

Flag of Hiroshima

These prefectures align harmoniously by colour and design. The white emblems are stylized Katakana Letters "Hee" for Hiroshima, while Kumamoto uses the letter "Ku."

A geographic coincidence is that they both have the longest shorelines of their inland seas. Hiroshima has the longest inland sea shoreline for Honshu, while Kumamoto also has the longest inland sea shoreline of Kyushu's private inland sea - the Ariake and Yatsushiro Seas.

Flag of Kumamoto


Culturally Hiroshima and Kumamoto bear solemn and sacred landmarks in history. Buddhism teaches that suffering is a part of life - with Hiroshima a great suffering was delivered from beyond with atomic weapons in 1945. 50 years later another tragedy of firsts stuck Japan. Shoko Asahara, a man from Kumamoto, masterminded the Tokyo Sarin Never Gas Attack in 1995. These flags show us that suffering can come from within and beyond. We are often at the mercy of forces grater that ourselves. We must never forget or hide from our folly, rather we should recognize the better element of ourselves that strives to overcome these difficulties and tests. Rather than shame and blame, we must come to better understanding and hope. So the mistakes of the past be not repeated.

Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Dome
Kept as it was since 1945

CLICK HERE FOR PART 1
CLICK HERE FOR PART 11

CLICK HERE for a video about Japanese Flag Pairs on Youtube

Mug Shot of Japan's
Domestic Terror Leader
from Kumamoto - led 1995 Sarin Terror Subway Attack

Japanese Prefectural Flag Twins - Shimane & Nigata: Part 9

Flag of Nigata

The flags of Shimane and Nigata make a pair. Their background colours are a similar tint - brownish/red. Both flags have golden emblems that have lobed 'four leafed clovers.' The golden 'four leafed clover' of Shimane is centered and large, but the 'four leafed clover' of Nigata is at a 12:00 o'clock position in a double ringed circle.

Flag of Shimane

Shimane and Nigata are coastal prefectures along the Sea of Japan facing Korea/Mainland Asia. Another geographic harmony is that both prefectures are connected to two sacred 'satellite islands.'

According to Shinto Tradition in the beginning of the world, eight sacred islands fell from the divine spear tip which became the eight scared islands of Japan. This included the three big islands of Honshu, Kysushu, Shikoku, and five smaller islands of Awaji, Sadoshima, Okishima, Ikishima, Tsushima. There are hundreds of smaller islands surrounding the four big islands of Japan, and the chances that two prefectures that align by flags would also align with one of the sacred original eight is quite uncanny. Sado-shima is a part of Nigata Prefecture, while Oki-shima is a part of Shimane Prefecture.

Map of Shimane and Nigata with Sacred Satellite Islands

Two dedicated Naval Commanders of World War II were originate from Shimane and Nigata: Admiral Yamaguchi and Admiral Yamamoto. Admiral Yamamoto was born in Nigata, while Adimiral Yamaguchi hailed from Shimane. Both men were outstanding leaders for their nations. Yamaguchi served his country in the Pacific Campaign and died at the Battle of Midway aboard the aircraft carrier the IJN Hiryu - (Flying Dragon). He was one of Japan's brightest naval commanders and instead of escaping to fight another day he chose to go down with the carrier.

Admiral Yamamoto is the more famous name who helped plan the strike at Pearl Harbor and he was the Commander in Chief of the Imperial Combined Fleet. But after the Battle of Midway, Japan went on the defensive. In 1943 Yamamoto was shot down while in an airplane that crashed in the Northern Solomon Islands.

Coincidentally these men studied abroad in the United States during the 1920s, and at Ivy League Universities. Yamaguchi studied at Princeton University while Yamamoto studied at Harvard. Odd as it may seem Yamaguchi and Yamamoto were both Ivy League alumni.

Yamamoto Right, Yamaguchi Left with Ivy League Arms



CLICK HERE FOR PART 1
CLICK HERE FOR PART 10

CLICK HERE to see a video about Japanese Flag Pairs

Japanese Prefectural Flag Twins - Wakayama & Ibaraki: Part 8

Flag of Ibaraki

The prefectural flags of Ibaraki and Wakayama are the hallmark of Yin and Yang. Their coloration is counter charged - as it would be in heraldic terms. Ibaraki is blue with white rose but Wakayama is white with a Katakana 'WA.'

Geographically they are both on the western pacific sides. They are far enough from the congested Osaka-Kinki and Tokyo-Kanto metropolises - where the pace of life is decidedly slower and more country.

Flag of Wakayama
The most importantt event linking these two prefectures rests on the shoulders of Morie Ueshiba who is the founder of Aikido. Morie Ueshiba was born in Wakayama and died in Ibaraki. Aikdo is a martial art that strives for the holy grail of fighting. An Aikido master redirects the force of an attacker away or back at the attacker without doing harm, but yet being able to subdue the opponent. In modern terms you can think of it as a mix of Spock's knockout grip combined with Neo's invincibility moves in the Matrix.

Morie Ueshiba
founder of Aikido

Morie Ueshiba was born of that generation that first marvelled unto the modern age. He lived though the first Chinese-Japanese War of 1895, Russo-Japanese War, WWI, World War II, and Korean War. Morie lived in that transitional era where the ancient way of feudal of society was witness to the journeys of man to the moon - 1969. He lived in the nexus between the ancient feudal era and modern technological now.

The flags of Ibaraki and Wakayama are like Yin and Yang or Past and Future.




CLICK HERE FOR PART 1
CLICK HERE FOR PART 9

CLICK HERE to see Japanese Flag Video on Youtube