Kraam met Japanse marinevlaggen in Japan 1900 - 1907

This photograph by T. Enami captures a street stall in Yokohama, prominently displaying Japanese naval flags. The flag’s central motif, a red sun disc with radiating rays, is deeply embedded in Japanese identity, historically symbolizing the sun goddess Amaterasu, from whom the Imperial family claims descent. The proliferation of this symbol evokes a sense of collective identity. Think back to ancient Egypt, where the sun disc, representing the god Ra, symbolized power and divinity. Similarly, here, the sun emblem transcends mere nationalist symbol; it taps into primal, archetypal associations of light, life, and authority. Such symbols, however, are not static. They evolve, accumulating layers of meaning, and this image becomes a potent reminder of how symbols can be both unifying and, through historical shifts, deeply complicated. The rays might evoke both a sense of pride, but also perhaps, the painful legacies of conflict and colonialism.