nobori bata cloth, Japan, Taisho (c.1920), cm 103x121. a cotton flag of those displayed in the early 20th century by shops and warehouses. Its large ‘kanji’ character means ‘oil’ in Japanese, so it is to assume that the flag marked a place where oil was traded. Soft hand-spund and hand-woven cotton decorated in ‘tsutsugaki’ technique, and in good condition. a bold graphic presence for an item worth considering. Great.