Flag of the Hosokawa Lords of Kumamoto in Higo Province B (Japan) STICKER Vinyl Kiss-Cut Decal

A second war banner of the Hosokawa clan, built around a white scalloped bloom with ten rounded petals on a black field.

Visual Elements & Composition

Black and white are the only colours, and the bloom is the single dominant figure. Its ten petals are scalloped and rounded, and black stamens radiate from a central circle, each ending in a small dot. The arrangement is radial and symmetrical, with no lettering, so the design relies on its silhouette and balance to be read from a distance.

Meaning & Symbolism

The Hosokawa were among the most powerful daimyo of the Edo period, ruling the Kumamoto domain in Higo Province, present-day Kumamoto Prefecture on Kyushu, with an income of 540,000 koku. The clan descended from the Minamoto through the Ashikaga line and sided with Tokugawa Ieyasu at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, which won them Higo Province. The third lord, Hosokawa Tadatoshi, was a noted patron of the arts and of the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. This banner follows the clan's heraldic tradition, in which the family crest, the nine-ringed kyūyō, was used on banners and campaign standards. It belongs to the 17th to 19th century Edo period.

On the Sticker Cut

A kiss-cut sticker is cut around the outline of the bloom, so the petals and stamens are held on the surface as one shape rather than on a square backing. The radial silhouette is the whole design, and it reads most clearly on a smooth, flat surface such as a laptop lid, a journal cover or a window where the flower is seen face-on.