Kirei Posters from Japan
Koichi Sato: Hinomaru, the Circle of the Sun
Although it is not difficult to draw the Japanese flag, a solid red circle centered on a white surface, the far-reaching import of the design belies its simplicity of form. Since I would even venture to claim that our flag illustrates the essence of Japanese poster design, it shall serve as the basis of argument in the following essay. I hope in this way to illuminate current poster design in Japan and the cultural background in which it is embedded.
Many national flags have a name: the Union Jack, the Stars and Stripes, the Tricolore, etc. The Japanese national flag is known as the Hinomaru, the circle of the sun.