Bidspirit auction | Japanese Osaka Shosen Kaisha OSK

Japanese Osaka Shosen Kaisha OSK Line Captured Soldier Ship Flag - An original Japanese maritime house flag for the Osaka Shosen Kaisha (OSK Line), specifically attributed to the vessel Mexico Maru according to the included provenance documentation. The flag is constructed from a white wool bunting field with a multi-piece red corporate logo appliqued to the center. The OSK logo design consists of two thick horizontal bars joined by a central vertical segment featuring a triangular notch on the hoist side and a rectangular protrusion on the fly side. The hoist end is finished with gold-colored synthetic or leatherette corner reinforcements, each fitted with a brass grommet and segments of the original natural fiber rope. The flag is accompanied by an original Vexillological Inventory Form from the Flag Heritage Foundation (Inventory No. 585), which identifies the flag as an original sea hoisting flag acquired on September 27, 1951, from donor C. R. Rungee. The form estimates the date of manufacture as 1921. The vessel Mexico Maru was a passenger and cargo liner built in 1910 that served on trans-Pacific routes before being requisitioned for transport duties by the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. 4 feet 4 inches x 5 feet 10 inches.