A while back I was on eBay and I had a bright idea: why not buy a real WWII Japanese flag from some trader, and then try to get it back to its true owner, or at least his relatives? It was a noble thought. The Japanese consulate here in Montreal actually contacted me when I posted about it in the local Japanese-language forums, and a consular member actually came to my house to get the flag. He promised to send it to Japan, to an association he was aware of who tried to reunite these kinds of war "memorabilia" with either surviving family members, or anyone else who might recognize it. Sadly, it was not to be. Abe-san sent it to Japan but after six months they had failed to find its owner. So he gave it back to me. Now I don't know what to do with it. I never bought it for the intention of keeping it -- just to get it off the market and try to find its owner. Any suggestions as to what I should do with it? Somebody's father, grandfather, brother, son could have been the owner, and I feel I should somehow treat it respectfully (it's in a leather case) but beyo View attachment 21860 nd that, I'm at a loss . . .
It's a nice idea. I applaud the effort. I agree with CAC. If you hit the wall, find a historical society or museum. Your heart was in the right place.
I'd like to echo the suggestions made by CAC and KJ Jr. If the family couldn't be found, the next best thing would be to donate it to an organization that will take care of it and appreciate it.
If no family can be found (and it seems as though you tried), either donate it to your local historical society, or find a local Japanese museum and donate it to them.CAC and KJ seem to be on the right track. Kudos to you for trying to find the family of the owner,
That is one way you can contribute. If you are unsuccessful in finding maybe a Japanese community, donating to museum is a great way to get involved and contribute. There is this very cool museum in Frankenmuth Michigan, that is dedicated to the Medal of Honor recipients who are from Michigan. In that museu are two very neat displays of all these items that came from Nazi Germany and Japan during the war. It has all kinds of things such as Lugers, katanas, helmets, etc. All are authentic that came from that time period. A lot of that stuff was donated to the museum. Donating to a museum can mean a lot to them as well as the people who come to see it. If you are unsuccessful in finding a community or someone to accept it, donating museum is always a good idea.
Thanks, guys, for all your wise replies. Sorry it took so long to reply. I will try to find a museum to donate it to. When one considers the shocking carnage that was the Pacific war, it's not surprising in the least that the owner of this flag can't be found. It's also very possible that all the members of his family were wiped out in Japan. Furthermore, how are you ever going to find a relative of someone who died 80 years ago, especially if their names are our equivalent of "Bob Smith" or something similar? Nonetheless, whoever he was . . . a part of him lives on in a small leather case in my drawer. So in a way, he never went to Yasukuni Shrine, but he did end up in Montreal. If he had known that was what would happen to that flag, perhaps he would have taken some comfort in knowing that a former enemy would be safeguarding a small part of his spirit . . .
