The Symbolism of Japan’s Prefectural Flags

Japan – commonly called the Land of the Rising Sun, has as many as 47 prefectural flags with different symbolisms. Each one of the different Japanese flags has a different symbolism. These Japanese prefectures have been incorporated from the letters in the Japanese writing system. Symbolising various regions of Japan, each region has its prefectural flag. The symbols on the Japanese flag use a set of different colour pallets for different symbols. Let’s learn what the different prefectural flags are.

List of Japanese Prefectural Flags

Prefectures of Japan have also termed symbol flags because they are depicted as symbols. The Bureaucratic Management of Japan is divided into National, Prefectural and Municipal sectors, with each prefecture containing a separate flag itself. There are a total of 47 Japanese prefectural flags known to be in existence. Let’s now learn about the 47 Japanese prefecture flags and the symbolism involved behind them.

• Aichi Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Aichi located in the Chubu region of Honshu.
• Akita Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Akita located in the Tohoku region of Honshu.
• Aomori Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Aomori, the largest city in the Tohoku region.
• Chiba Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Chiba, located in the Kanto region of Honshu.
• Ehime Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Ehime region located on the Shikoku island.
• Fukui Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Fukui located in the Chubu region of Honshu.
• Fukuoka Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Fukuoka located on the island of Kyushu.
• Fukushima Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Fukushima located in the Tohoku region of Honshu
• Gifu Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Gifu located in the Chubu region of Honshu. 
• Gunma Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Gunma located in the Kanto region of Honshu.
• Hiroshima Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Hiroshima located in the Chugoku region of Honshu.
• Hokkaido Prefecture: It is the largest northernmost prefecture and the second largest island in Japan.
• Hyogo Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Hyogo located in the Kansai region of Honshu.
• Ibaraki Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Ibaraki located in the Kanto region of Honshu.
• Ishikawa Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Ishikawa located in the Chubu region of Honshu.
• Iwate Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Iwate located in the Tohoku region of Honshu
• Kagawa Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Kagawa located on the island of Shikoku.
• Kagoshima Prefecture: Symbolises the region of Kagoshima located on the Kyushu and Ryukyu Islands.
• Kanagawa Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Kanagawa located in the Kanto region of Honshu.
• Kochi Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Kochi located on the Shikoku Islands
• Kumamoto Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Kumamoto located on the island of Kyushu.
• Kyoto Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Kyoto located in the Kansai region of Honshu.
• Mie Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Mie located in the Kansai region of Honshu.
• Miyagi Prefecture: Symbolising Miyagi, located in the Tohoku region of Honshu.
• Miyazaki Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Miyazaki located on the island of Kyushu.
• Nagano Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Nagano Prefecture located in the Chubu region of Honshu.
• Nagasaki Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Nagasaki located on the island of Kyushu.
• Nara Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Nara located in the Kansai region of Honshu.
• Niigata Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Niigata located in the Chubu region of Honshu.
• Oita Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Oita located on the island of Kyushu.
• Okayama Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Okayama located in the Chugoku region of Honshu.
• Okinawa Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Okinawa, it is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan.
• Osaka Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Osaka located in the Kansai region of Honshu.
• Saga Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Saga located on the island of Kyushu.
• Saitama Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Saitama located in the Kanto region of Honshu.
• Shiga Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Shiga located in the Kansai region of Honshu.
• Shimane Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Shimane located in the Chugoku region of Honshu.
• Shizuoka Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Shizuoka located in the Chubu region of Honshu.
• Tochigi Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Tochigi located in the Kanto region of Honshu.
• Tokyo Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Tokyo, it is the capital city of Japan
• Tokushima Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Tokushima located on the island of Shikoku.
• Tottori Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Tottori located in the Chugoku region of Honshu.
• Toyama Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Toyama located in the Chubu region of Honshu.
• Wakayama Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Wakayama located in the Kansai region of Honshu.
• Yamagata Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Yamagata located in the Tohoku region of Honshu
• Yamaguchi Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Yamaguchi located in the Chugoku region of Honshu.
• Yamanashi Prefecture: Symbolising the region of Yamanashi located in the Chubu region of Honshu.

The different Japanese flags are symbolic of different regions of Japan. The Symbols on the Japanese flag come from the letters in the Japanese writing system.

Conclusion

In this blog, we have learned about the different Japanese flags, their prefectures, and the Japanese prefectural flags. Still, some doubts may remain. To solve all those doubts here is a dedicated FAQ section to clear concepts related to this topic.