A vector reconstruction of the naval ensign seen on Japanese ships in several ukiyo-e from the Bakumatsu era, based on its depiction in a large scroll entitled "Dai nihonkoku godaimyō kokushugata sōin" (大日本國御大名國主方相印) in the collection of the Museum of Ethnology in Vienna, Austria. This depiction is believed to have been made sometime after 1868 due to the painting being signed "Duplicated by Fujiwara Tamechika, Tokyo" (東京藤原爲親寫), with July 17th 1868 being the date that Tokyo was adopted as the city's official name. It is also the square variant of the national flag of Japan flown between 1870 to 1999.
Based on Object No.34902 in the collections of the Museum of Ethnology in Vienna, Austria. [1]
Mahboison