nobori bata cloth, Japan, Showa (c.1950), cm 726x72. a textile banner used for celebrating Boys' Festival, a Japanese festivity occurring early May every year. This is a post-WWII textile decorated in tsutsugaki technique on machine-loomed cotton. It is a rather interesting item though, as it is part two of a pair (same size, same family crest and kanji characters of the one depicting a dragon) that has survived the years and that we are actually posting on rr. This banner depicts a tiger, the king of the animal kingdom according to Chinese and Japanese traditional culture, symbol of strength and moral integrity and therefore most appropriate – together with the dragon - to invoke blessings for the boys approaching adult life. Fun, colour and very good condition for these two flags.